Good morning L Col. Bowman, faculty
members, honoured guests, parents, friends and fellow
students. Welcome to the 2010
Robert
Land
Academy
Graduation Parade.
This
day, that we have all been anticipating has finally
arrived. Graduation is ultimately here and the next step
in life is only a few hours away. This final parade
represents our final act of brotherhood. A brotherhood
that forms in September and culminates today in June. As
we perform this last parade as one unit, the brotherhood
that is formed at Robert Land Academy will be made
evident: we will walk tall, march in step, stand still,
and march off proud … We have practiced for this
moment all year. After the work is done and the parade
is over, it will be time for this brotherhood not to be
broken, but rather expanded with our last farewells. As
we look the people in the eye who we have eaten with,
roomed with, worked with, lived with, and yes even
gotten in a little bit of trouble with, it will be in
the back of our minds that this will be the last time
everyone here today will be together in one place. This
is a day that should be remembered
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When
a boy attends Robert Land he is typically an uninspired,
selfish, self-centred teenaged boy who ironically
believes he has done nothing wrong. The purpose of the
Academy is to take this boy and show him a different
path, a path towards a better brighter future. The first
step in the journey is the recruit course. It starts
with saying goodbye to parents, and saying hello to the
warm welcome of ASM Zahra, Capt. Milliken, and Capt.
Doig in the parking lot of Ivey Hall. It’s basically
downhill from here… depending on your perspective.
Minutes is all it takes for us to have a shaved head;
wearing coveralls with a duct-taped name tag holding a
plastic bag tied in a knot wondering where it was that
we went wrong. The next stop is stores. At first you
hear stores and you think of a nice trip to an outlet
mall with Nike, Guess, Foot Locker, and Roots, but it is
actually a lonely window in a grey basement with Lt. Lee
tossing you a mesh bag filled with surprises. After
being escorted to the barracks with cheers of
encouragement (to be nice about it), you are told to put
your last name on every single thing you own. As you are
writing your last name on absolutely everything from
your polish to your underwear, a very hollow realization
hits you: you have nothing. Nothing but your last name!
I was no longer Scott Vatcher, just Vatcher, Recruit
Vatcher or simply recruit. From this point on the day
goes by in a blur and the next thing you know the
longest day of your life is just about over. When the
lights finally go out, you climb under your dust
blankets (which is not as comfy as it sounds) and lie
there alone until you fall asleep. Although we are alone
in our thoughts, we are all in it together.
The
struggle of Robert Land offers many positive aspects.One that many of us take for granted is the
friendships that we build.As I look at the graduating class I can think
of thousands of memories that I have shared with all of
you.Would
it not be odd for me to say that after only two and a
half years I am closer to you gentlemen, than most of my
best friends whom I have known for most of my life?No it is not.Together we eat, sleep, live, endure and even
enjoy.It is
we who get each other through the year, through the good
times like the lasting laughter during company movies,
and the hard times like PT in the mud after a bad
inspection.We turn to each other and depend on one another
in our times of need.I will miss not having your unconditional
support and someone to share my successes and endure my
failures.My greatest pleasures were helping to encourage
those to make the right decisions, and watching you
succeed when you did, as well as lending a helping hand
in any way I could when you failed.It was picking you up and motivating you when
that
90 km
march was too long, and it gave me much comfort in
knowing that you would do the same for me.
The
three barracks that stand opposite the parade square
represent the different stages of the brotherhood. The
youngest brother is A-Company, looking up to the older
brothers imitating what they see. B-Company is the middle
aged brother, always trying to be noticed no matter the
cost. Lastly, the oldest brother, C-Company is the
leader and role model of the brotherhood. Although we
are at different stages in the brotherhood and in life,
the work load in the barracks is the same: Polishing
boots, folding laundry, ironing uniforms, cleaning
washrooms, mopping floors, dusting lockers, and making
beds. In performing these tasks, we learn how to work
with each other, overcome differences, teach and be
taught, and how to set goals. These are skills that most
of us did not see as useful before attending Robert
Land. The self-centred, uninspired boy does not excel in
this environment. We command a sense of unity for
ourselves. We learn that it is the hard times in life
that make us stronger on a personal basis, and just as
importantly as one unit; group discipline, white glove
inspections, block marches, and treacherous physical
training sessions with Lt. Aoki are always something to
look forward to. These are the hard times we work
through building the eternal bond we share.
Once
the students here at Robert Land have spent their first
few weeks learning how to perform the necessary tasks
they have to do in the barracks, their first real test
arrives: The Fall Exercise, or Fall Ex. On this
three-day excursion along the
Niagara
escarpment, we race in our sections towards that
seemingly non-existent finish line. We deal with the
blistered feet, cramping legs, sore backs and scorching
sun. With the pain and exhaustion, it starts to get
lonely in your head. The brotherhood, however, is the
one motivator that compels you to never give up or give
in. We learn that if we just keep pushing and never
quit, everything else in life will be just a little bit
easier. The sense of accomplishment we get when the
three gruelling days are over is something we haven’t
felt before. This was also a time to prove yourself
worthy of your first promotion, to get rid of that
embarrassing tan beret and replace it with a blue one,
to be called a cadet, and get acceptance from your
peers. If you were promoted on this day the pain from
the previous three vanished, and you had something to
show for your hard work.
After
the Fall Ex, our focus turns to the classroom. We are in
the classroom so much it becomes home. And we do our
best to make it feel like home. Who could forget
Driscoll’s fetish for hiding his latest and greatest
ridiculous art creations all over Lt. Simmons’s
classroom, or the hilarious improvisations brought to you by
Lofranco and Hannaford, or Nemanic’s snoring into a
history textbook. We will miss your classes’ sir; they
always lightened the day. Dr. Brown, we will never
forget the bird lectures or the long life lessons you
always try to teach us. Dr. Inglis, I will never miss
your brutal tests, but what I will miss is your keen
sense of humour. The three of you have more than prepared
the graduating class for their university studies.
Miss
Lake
we need to say thank you for the letters sent, our
leaves organized, and for basically being the mother of
the Academy. Miss Spiller…the amount of work you did
on behalf of the graduates is greatly appreciated by all
of us, collage and university would still be a dream if
you were not there to guide us along the right path.
Lastly, all of the kitchen staff who slave away to make
sure no one is working on an empty stomach, we thank all
of you.
In
the past three years I have had the opportunity to spend
time with all three companies, there are names and
moments I will never forget. Koetsier always had a new
joke for me when I was doing my rounds at night; Burrill
has learned how to shake hands like a man after a full
year of practice; Smith J has helped me see the other
side of the fence through our conversations; and lastly,
moments with Yacub, Strachan, Adebisi, Akinkuotu,
McLaren, Rasmussen, Chan, and Shrestha will never be
forgotten. Life in the barracks would not have been
possible without the hard work of the company staff such
as Capt. Milliken and DSM. Robinson (the dynamic duo),
Capt. Doig, CSM. Beardwood, and CSM Newman (The three
musketeers), and W.O. Neill (is that with one “L” or
two sir?). Thank you for all that you have done for me
and the students here at the Academy.
When
I arrived at Robert Land I left behind a broken family
who had just made the difficult decision of leaving
their son in a school that they knew little about. They
did this as a last resort to save me from myself. Four
years ago my teachers and principal told my parents that
I would never graduate from high school! For them, it was
easier for me to become someone else’s problem! To
them, I was a lost cause! I believed them and showed no
aspirations to neither challenge myself nor further my
education. Four years ago, I would have never believed
that I would later become the Head Boy and
Valedictorian, with good marks and a high school
diploma. I learned that no matter how bad a situation
might be, it is up to us to put the time and effort in
to change ourselves. Robert Land gives us the tools to
do so; however, it is up to us to change. At this
graduation we have proven our worth.
We
could not have done this without our families at home. I
will always remember sitting with my mom as she
desperately tried to teach me math for hours after
school with the hope that I might be able to pass. My
little sister Lauren and I never used to talk and now
when I call home I look forward to hearing her story of
the day. My girlfriend
Shannon
has been there for me these past two years through the
good and the bad. And to my Dad, I know we have had our
moments, and some of the situations have not been easy.
I just want to let you know that do I love you and I
hope I made you proud today. Thank all of you for the
sacrifices you have made for me, they will never be
forgotten.
Valedictorian
Warrant Officer Scott Vatcher addressing his parents
during the Valedictory Address
I
would also like to thank Lt. Col. Bowman
and ASM Zahra for giving me the second chance I needed
to turn my life around.
Upon
leaving the Academy it is important to remember all of
the moments spent here, good and bad. It has been a long
hard road for all of us, but we are finally here, and
what we have learned, and accomplished should not be
forgotten. To the students returning next year, “To
you from falling hands we throw the torch; be yours to
hold it high”. It seems like a long path, but one
worth walking. To my fellow graduates, this is just one
step on the path.
