Prepared by: Amanda Thiessen and Christine Steward
Photo Credits: Charlie Sierra Photography
@chrysan72
Year in Review
2022- 2023
Why Should I Join Cadets?
Cadets offers challenges, friendship and adventure! It s an opportunity to expand your own horizons, contribute to your community and make friends for life. Many former Cadets credit their participation in the program with giving them a head-start toward their successful careers. Did you know that astronaut Chris Hadfield, Olympic biathlon gold medalist Myriam Bédard and actor Jim Carrey were all Cadets in their teens?
Famous Former Cadets
Darren Wennerstrom…………………………………………………………………………………………………..Chair Person
Dean Fuller………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...Vice-Chair
Robert Mowat……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Secretary
Sheryl Tewnion...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………Treasurer
Pam Parker………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...Member at Large
Thank You!!
At 861, we have been blessed with an amazing amount of help and all who have graciously given their time deserve a huge thank you, your help is greatly appreciated!
Every Wednesday, Irene Kozlik and Shelley Mowat, work hard to ensure that all of our cadets get snacks and meals at break time, thank you for everything that you did over this past year!
Thank you to all of the parents from our squadron who has signed up to help out with the 2023 Airshow Parking. Abbotsford International Airshow is one of the biggest fundraising event for 861 Silverfox Squadron. Continuing to support this community event is a big way to show support for the Squadron. Volunteering parents of 861 have earned a reputation of being the most reliable partner for the Airshow. In return for our efforts, the Airshow makes a large cash donation to the squadron. This pays for a lot of fun things for the cadets. So once again, your time and efforts are greatly appreciated. We still need more volunteers, so please spread the word. If you have any questions at all about volunteering at the Abbotsford Airshow please email parents@861silverfox.ca or visit www.861silverfox.ca/airshow .
As a parent at 861, you will have the unique opportunity to watch your child grow and learn to be one of the leaders of tomorrow! We have lots of opportunities for parents to be involved with the Squadron! Email us for more information on how to get involved.
861 Parent Sponsoring Committee Executive
Darren Wennerstrom Dean Fuller
CHAIR S MESSAGE Parade Nights
Coming out of a 3-year pandemic, dealing with the struggles of virtual learning, being in the building at half strength, it has been great to be able to finally open up fully this cadet year. The growth of the squadron this year along with the increase to parent volunteers has been great to see. It’s been great to see us finally be able to all move to one night, in person, and for us to be able to start back with some ‘normal’ kinds of things (like CANTEEN!!!!).
We have several committees such as: Fundraising, Special Events, and building maintenance. If anyone would like to help, please see the SSC (Squadron Sponsoring Committee).
As this year is coming to an end it has been great to see the changes and improvements in the cadets. It’s also been great to see how many parent's have been involved in the Air cadet program. The increase in screened parents has been wonderful, but more parent involvement is always needed and welcomed. We encourage you to be a screened member, please come and see one of us and we would be glad to help out with that.
I’m truly grateful for this year’s Sponsoring Committee– you have all made this year a whole lot easier to get through. I want to extend an extra special ‘THANK YOU!!!!’ to Sheryl. She doesn’t have a cadet in the program, yet , she has still given countless hours to help everything run smoothly. You are the best!
I want to also thank Capt. Antrobus and the Officers who have truly worked together this year to make an awesome partnership between the Air Cadet League side and the Dept. of National Defense side. Without the comradery between the two, this year would not have been as fun!
Finally, Thank You to all the parents and guardians who have entrusted your kids to us this year and for coming out to our 45th ACR. We look forward to what next year will bring.
Mr. Darren Wennerstrom
Join as a parent Sponsor Committee or League Member Volunteer:
Members and Volunteers give their time in a variety of ways, for example: running the canteen, making meals for Training Weekends, driving Cadets to and from events, taking photos, fundraising, and helping with special events
In order to properly acquainted with League volunteers and other volunteers, certain information is required. You are asked to complete the Volunteer Registration package. An interview with a League representative will be required and after receipt of the completed form and Police Records Check. For positions of trust (such as Treasurer and Fund Raising), a Credit Check may be required. A volunteer’s Registration/Screening is valid for five years, as long as the volunteer remains in good standing.
If you are interested in assisting a volunteer please speak to the Chair of the Squadron Sponsoring Committee.
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HISTORY OF 861 SILVERFOX
The 861 Lions Squadron, as the Squadron was first known by, received its charter on August 18, 1978. Parading out of Hanger #2 at the Abbotsford Airport, our first Parade was on Sept. 13, 1978 under the Command of Captain Duncan Netzel. The original sponsor of 861 was the Abbotsford Lions Club.
After a few years the Squadron began parading at Peardonville Elementary School. In September 1986, the 861 RCACF Association took over the sponsorship of the Squadron.
As the Squadron grew, they moved to a larger building at 3265 McCallum Road North. A few years later they moved to the Cow Barn at Exhibition Grounds. Through a partnership with the 861 RCACF Wing, the City of Abbotsford and the Provincial Government, the 861 Squadron finally got their own building to call home. The Air Cadet Building has been our home since April 1991.
In 2013, The Squadron Sponsoring Committee took over the full Sponsorship of the Squadron from the 861 RCACS Wing.
A tremendous ‘Thank You!’ to all Officers and Volunteers who have made our Squadron what it is today.
861 (Lions) Squadron: Commanding Officers
1978 — 1990
Commanding Officer Years
Capt. Duncan Netzel Aug. 1978 Oct. 1983
Lt. Christopher Weicht Oct. 1983 Oct. 1984
Maj. George Leukfeld Nov. 1989 Jan. 1992
Maj. J.C.M. de Salaberry Nov. 1989 Jan. 1992
861 Silverfox Squadron: Commanding Officers
1990 — Present
Commanding Officer Years
Maj. J.C.M. de Salaberry Nov. 1989 Jan. 1992
Maj. Ian Anderson Jan. 1992 Jan. 1997
Capt. Donald Lavoie Jan. 1997 Mar. 1997
Maj. Brian Norris Mar. 1997 June 1997
Maj. Jim Happer June 1997 June 2000
Maj. JoAnn MacDonald June 2000 June 2004
Maj. Robert Hubley June 2004 Sept. 2007
Capt. Ernie Turra Sept. 2997 May 2009
Capt. Ted Bowman May 2009 June 2012
Maj. Melanie Taylor Sept. 2012 Sept. 2016
Capt. Lorna Martin Sept. 2016 Sept. 2018
Maj. JoAnn MacDonald Sept. 2018 June 2021
Maj. Andrew King June 2021 June 2022
Capt.Kevin Antrobus CD June 2022-Present
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Commanding Officer s Message Captain Kevin Antrobus, CD
Before continuing on to the Year in Review, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Cadets, Parents, SSC and staff at 861 Silverfox. As a new officer to this Squadron, you have all been extremely helpful and welcomed me to the unit.
This year was an eventful year compared to the previous few years. I am glad we are starting to see some of our previous routines return to normal.
Starting during the summer, we managed to participate in a few events including the Canada Day Parade and Abbotsford Airshow. We were able to support the Abbotsford Airshow for the first time in years. We assisted with their setup and operated a Cadet information booth. We were also to coordinate a glider and Cessna 182 tow plane to be at our booth. The Squadron Sponsors did a fantastic job with the Air Show parking.
In September, I am proud that we were able to start up our optional teams such as Band, Biathlon, Marksmanship, First Aid, and Drill Team. The staff and senior Cadets worked hard to get these teams operational. Bravo Zulu to all involved in restarting these teams as their hard work and determination clearly show to here at our Annual Ceremonial Review. We managed to conduct the first FTX in Pacific Region for this training year. Again, your senior Cadets and staff stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park. The Cadets had a great time learning new survival skills in the Chilliwack training areas. We also had another Pacific Region first when we conducted our Mess Dinner. The Cadets learnt about mess traditions and had a great time in the process. Kudos to the WO Ward and WO Coloma. 861 Silverfox has participated in many competitions this year. Cadet Vallance took to the podium in the Junior category at the Biathlon Zone Competition and Cadet Unipan took home Top Shot in the Junior category at the Marksmanship Zone competition. We also put together a basketball team and competed in the 609 Steveston Basketball Classic. The Training Department was busy this year. We had an amazing turn out for our First Responders Night; where members of the Abbotsford Police Department, Abbotsford Fire Rescue and the Central Fraser Valley Search and Rescue all attended to show off the latest and greatest equipment and tech, while answering the many questions posed by our Cadets. We conducted a Field Training Exercise at Aldergrove Lake and have a large Squadron FTX next weekend.
We have a lot of Cadet going off the CTC and CAP this summer. I hope you all enjoy your courses. For those of you who are not going to CTC or CAP, please consider helping with Canada Day or the Abby Airshow.
861 Silverfox Squadron Staff
Cpl Afshar Oliver William
LAC Alemayo Elias
Cdt Basra Harjot
LAC Calalo Jaiden
Sgt Chooi Jaden
LAC Clark Addison
Sgt Coloma Aleesha
Typhoon
LAC Fuller William
Cdt Geisser Brooklynn
LAC Grewal Alexa
Cdt Kang Aden
LAC Macapugas Yzhekiel
Cpl MacKinnon Evan Cdt Mann Govind
Cdt Pascua Mc Harold
FSgt Patel Maitra
Cdt Patterson Robert
Cdt Paz Zavier Asael
Cpl Pitzel Ilse Ann
LAC Rai Harsimrat
FCpl Ramgarhia Harjot
Cdt Seafoot Xavier
Cpl Sekhon Armaan
Cdt Shergill Shay
FCpl Stevenson Anneke
LAC Verma Luvish
Cpl Wilkinson Jordyn
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Deputy Commanding Officer Capt. Tara MacDonell, CD Supply Officer Capt. Chris Giroux, CD
Commanding Officer Capt. Kevin Antrobus CD Level 4/Biathlon
CI Tammy Ward
Admin Officer
Lt. Mark Steward
Captain Kevin Antrobus, CD
Level 2 Officer
Lt. Dean Lundstrom
Level 1/Band Officer OCdt. Rhonda Kelly
Level 1 Appointment CV Jason Leong
The Year in Pictures
Range/First Aid Capt. Steven Bailey
FCpl Batra Raissa FCpl
LAC Castex Aleia
Cdt Cucheran Aaron
LAC Deol Gurman
Cdt Dueck Nathaniel
Cpl Fuller Amelia
Silver
LAC Gill Yuvraaj
Sgt Harry Amanat
LAC Hendricks Zoren
Cdt Kaila Chahat
FCpl Kelly Ewan
Cpl Kim Jubok (Hanbin)
Sgt Leslie Bernard
LAC Millar Asher
Cdt Pham Ari
Cpl Sweder Chase
FCpl Sweder Justice
FSgt Truong Ky
Truong Zayden Nhat FCpl
Unipan Nevis Cpl
Ward Rebekah Cpl
Wen Jack LAC
Yang David Sgt
Squadron Commander Warrant Officer First Class Samuel Ward
Samuel Ward was born on 05/05/05 in Calgary, AB, making him an Alberta Centennial baby. The following year he and his family moved to Abbotsford, where they continue to reside. His family has been heavily involved in the Air Cadet Program since his oldest brother Elijah joined in September 2013. Because of his family’s involvement, he spent many days at the Squadron, during tag day weekends and other events, long before he joined the Squadron himself in May 2017.
Since joining the program, Samuel has participated in many teams and activities, such as Biathlon, the Physical Training Team, the Special Services Team, Flag Party, the Social Committee, and more. During the summers he attended General Training and Basic Drill and Ceremonial Camps. Last summer Samuel staffed at the Abbotsford/Chilliwack CAP Training Camp, earning a Commendation for his outstanding work.
Building on his time in Cadet Biathlon, Samuel was also able to earn a place on Team BC- Biathlon for two years and attended the BC Winter Games in 2020.
Samuel enjoys working with his fellow seniors and looks forward to continuing to mentor and pass on his knowledge to the cadets in his remaining time as the Squadron Commander. He hopes to make the Squadron the best it can be and hopes to develop an apt and capable next generation of Warrant Officers in the Squadron.
Samuel is fascinated by medicine and physiology and plans to continue developing his knowledge in that area after his graduation. In his spare time, he enjoys exercise, listening to music, spending time with his friends and family, playing video games- both competitively and for fun, and cross-country skiing.
Skyline Head Quarters
Cpl Bains Karman
FCpl Batra Rabbani
WO2 Coloma Raiden
FCpl Deng Katherine
Cdt Farnese Lauren
Sgt Flores Charlie
Cdt Grewal Zorawar
Cpl Hans Ajaypartap
Cdt Johnston Andrew
Cdt Keane Maya
Cdt Ko Taegeon
Sgt Kozlik Evan
Cdt Lancaster Noah
Cdt Lidher Shaandeep
LAC MacKinnon Lyla
FSgt Patel Prit FSgt
Sgt Rai Ramneet Sgt
LAC Schroeder Phoebe
LAC Sidhu Shaganpreet
LAC Visser Garrett
LAC Yuan Qiaojia
LAC Zaid Qanitah
WO2 Coloma Raiden
FSgt Cvitkovich Sydney
WO2 Dueck Faith
FSgt Gupta Adya
WO2 Kim Dohyun (Jacob)
WO2 McIntosh Cameron
FSgt Patel Maitra
Sgt Leslie Bernard
WO1 Ward Samuel
WO2 Wennerstrom Tanner
5 8
FSgt Shah Navya
Cpl Balme Jedidiah
Cpl Brown Victoria Ann
Cpl Budwal Ajay Singh
LAC Clarke Kylie
LAC De Meyer Lola
WO2 Dueck Faith
FSgt Kang Woosuk
FCpl Lee Donghwan (Eric)
FCpl Lee Jae Young (Tom)
LAC Lee Seojun
FSgt Lee Seongmin
FSgt Li Eric
LAC Mah Jesse
FCpl Mowat Emily
FSgt Cvitkovich Sydney
FCplKawaguchi Griffin
Sgt McIntosh Angus
FSgtPark YoonSun (David)
SSgt Son Joon Sgt
LAC Stiles Jacob
LAC Stiles James
LAC Taylor Rebecca
Cpl Truong Le Edison
CPl Zhou Derek
FSgt Zilcosky Lucas
LAC Alemayo Essey
Cdt Chauhan Krishang
LAC Dean Mason
FCpl Draper Elijah William
LAC Gehring Logan
Sgt Gill Jason
LAC Grewal Ajaya
Cpl Grover Aryan
Cdt Gryba Tyson
Fsgt Gupta Adya
Cdt Kang Hara
LAC Lehal Manikirat
Maverick Phoenix Flag Party
Cpl Meyer Owen
Cpl Patel Dax
FCplRamgarhia Kamaljot
Cpl Reilly Seamus
LAC Sandhu Divjot
Cdt Solomon Sophie Rose
FCpl Tako Thomas
FCpl Vallance Claudia
LAC Virk Arshdeep Kaur
Sgt Wadhawan Grishma
Cpl Wiebe Elizabeth
LAC Wiebe Olivia
Sgt Na Rachel
LAC Petty Brendan
Sgt Reimer Bryce
FCpl Beaulieu Mason
Cdt Berry Jonathan
FCpl Brar Khushvir
Sgt Choi Liam
Cpl Dhaliwal Umber
FSgt Flores Jessie
FCpl Fornales Erika
LAC Gosal Pavleen
LAC Hessberger Dylan
Cdt Kelly Lennox
Cdt Kim Hyunjin (Emily)
Cdt Kim Junsu (Lucas)
Cpl Kozlik Rebecca
Sgt Lee Ron
Cdt Lesage Cierra
LAC Mutneja Krishika
Cdt Panaich Curran
Cdt Portillo Ratzlaff Fausto
Cpl Ryan Chase
FSgt Shah Navya
Cpl Sharma Homan
LAC Steward Logan
Cpl Thiessen-Reid Alexis
FCpl Vallance Amber
LAC Virk Ruhaan Signh
LAC Zaid Waleejah
6 7 Arrow
