Another year's Cadet first aid competition has come and gone. This year's comps, as with previous years were incredibly successful. Combined with the NT Cadet camp in Alice springs, a total of 3 teams, 4 Individuals and 1 Cadet Leader competed, with 6 members travelling from the North, including one from Tennant Creek - a great result.

After an early breakfast (we missed out on the campground's free Sunday pancake breakfast due to the huge line!), all competitors piled into the bus to travel to isolation held at the Alice Springs ambulance centre. All of the competitors entered isolation at 0930 hours. It was then time to relax and have fun until it was our time to show off our "stuff".

The competitors were faced with one of three scenarios, all in the Todd Mall near the Flynn Church. The first competitors out were the team from Alice who were confronted with setting up a first aid post with the help of their adult member. This member soon became a patient after he was stung by a bee which he was severely allergic to, needing assistance with his epipen. The team had 2 other patients - a man with heavy bleeding to the fingers due to a trestle table collapsing on them and a teenager with a fractured collar bone and minor grazes from a skate boarding accident. The individual was challenged with 3 patients: a diabetic with a fractured lower arm, a male with fractured ribs and painful breathing and a teenager with a sprained ankle. The Cadet Leader was challenged with a severe burn to the left upper leg after a hot chocolate was spilt, a patient suffering an angina attack unresolved from anginine and allergic to aspirin, a choking patient and a child with a minor insect bite.

Following the First Aid competition was the inaugural Drill competition which saw the Juniors put on a drill display before the 4 Cadet drill teams showed off their precision, consistency, uniformity and team work. Each drill leader was required to memorise the drill instructions (2 full pages) and two teams (including the drill leaders) were only formed less than 24 hours before the competition. The teams did a great job and put on a great show to the public in Todd Mall.

All cadets and individuals involved did a fantastic job and it was terrific to see some new faces competing and having fun. Thank you to the patients, adjudicators, helpers and the competition manager, Paul Berry for a great day.

It has certainly prepared us for the National competitions in Adelaide in January 2010.

Article by Amy McKay