9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2004 - Page 0039
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
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REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) 37 Unit Welfare Office I was going to start this article with the phrase ‘this has been a busy year for the welfare dept’, and then go on to expand on the amount ofwelfare cases we have dealt with throughout the year. But, I am not going to do that. Anyone who knows anything about welfare will realise that every year will be busy, no matter how many deployments the regiment is on or not. Babies will continue to be born, people will become ill, housing will still not be good enough and soldiers and their families will still be post- ed. The regiment has been deployed this year and is due to deploy again next year. Despite the feelings of frustration, unhappiness and angst that are felt during times of separation. The regimental family always manages, and will continue to manage very well indeed. We are here to assist where we can. The Unit Welfare Office has undergone some changes in the past with people moving on and new people moving in. The staff presently are: Unit Welfare Officer Welfare SNCO Welfare Assistant Welfare JNCO Postal NCO Capt Gez Henderson Sgt Daryl Linwood Mrs Siobhan Peters Cpl Kev Rowley (on loan from B Sqn) Cpl Mark Packwood The current Welfare team will hopefully remain more or less as shown with maybe only Sgt Linwood moving on next year, depending on the results of the promotion board! The team has benefited enormously from the addition of Siobhan Peters who, with about fifteen year’s welfare experience behind her is not only a tremendous source of knowledge but very committed also. The welfare office is located within a growing welfare centre in Haig Bks. Aiming to make life easier for the soldier and depen- dants the centre has much to offer including: Unit Welfare offices Padre PRI shop Post Office Lite Bite Café Steffi’s hairdressers Ebonys babywear & evening dresses Music with mummy Kreations-Holistic therapies & cosmetics Sewing Creations & dressmaker O’Girkes travel & insurance With excellent welfare support from agencies within the garri- son and the positive attitude shown by members of the regiment and their dependants, no matter how busy life is next year the regimental family will survive and we will be there to assist. Padre’s Message ‘I just don’t know where the time goes!’ So goes the familiar refrain with each passing year, and this year has been no excep- tion: rumours ofa time of quiet are quickly pushed to one side as yet another project or exercise or deployment appears on the forecast of events. On a personal level, the last twelve months have been a very steep, but enjoyable learning curve: seventeen years as a vicar in London could not prepare me for the joys of Sandhurst (during which I managed to lead an entire platoon onto a golf course) Iraq, where on my very first day I was caught up in a riot in Basra (not my fault) or the customs and peculiarities of the Regiment. I was told by one of the course instructors at the Chaplain’s Training Centre that I would be well looked after with the 9th/12th. This of course had nothing to do with the fact that he was a former padre to The Regiment, but he was right and at every point throughout this year, and I have appreciated the warmth, humour and patience from all ranks who have suffered a not only ‘new in Germany’, but ‘new to just about everything’ padre! Throughout the year, there have been regular regimental servic- es, most notably on Armistice Day and earlier in the year, for The Old Comrades Association at the end of The Regimental Weekend. While on exercise in June, we held full field services for each squadron before the final phase of the exercise in Southern Germany The spiritual and moral foundations will be further strength- ened with the introduction in the New Year of regular Squadron supported services in St George’s, the Garrison Church. This, combined with ITDll’s on moral understanding should pro- vide a valuable preparation for the deployment ofThe Regiment later in 2005. The highlight of the year was deploying to Iraq, and from a Padre’s point of view, living in a part of the land of the Old Testament. Iraq has many biblical sites including Babylon, Ur (Abraham’s birthplace) and Eden, where the locals will even show you the original tree! There were many moments when Scripture was brought very close to my own personal experi- ence, particularly looking across the Euphrates and reading the words of the Psalmist as he lamented being in a strange land. The road from Al Amarah to Basra passes by the site of the Garden of Eden where the Tigris and the Euphrates converge. Ironically on one occasion, a vehicle was shot at while passing by; a timely reminder how when it comes to human nature, not a lot has changed, and original sin is still very much alive and well! With that in mind, my prayers are with The Regiment as we prepare for another tour of duty in Iraq and uppermost in my thoughts are those wonderful words from Psalm 121: “May the Lord protect your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and for evermore.” Padre jV |
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