{"id":13037,"date":"2016-01-06T13:45:26","date_gmt":"2016-01-06T18:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=13037"},"modified":"2016-01-20T20:52:11","modified_gmt":"2016-01-21T01:52:11","slug":"view-from-queens-park-words-of-wisdom-from-a-major-cadet-booster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/view-from-queens-park-words-of-wisdom-from-a-major-cadet-booster\/","title":{"rendered":"VIEW FROM QUEEN’S PARK: Words of wisdom from a Major cadet booster"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Chris Ballard, MPP
\nNewmarket-Aurora<\/strong><\/p>\n

About 25 years ago, author Robert Fulghum wrote a best seller called \u201cAll I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.\u201d It was full of homespun advice like \u201cShare everything. Play fair. Don\u2019t hit people. Flush. Clean up your own mess.\u201d
\nI was reminded of Mr. Fulghum\u2019s book at the annual Queen\u2019s York Rangers Cadet Corps\u2019 Christmas Mess Dinner at the Aurora Legion. This formal event sees the young members of the corps served dinner by their officers, receive awards and promotions, and enjoy the words of a keynote speaker.
\nOn this particular night, with stomachs full of turkey dinner, we sat back to hear Major L.G. Sainsbury, CD, Former Commanding Officer of the Corps, London Detachment Commander, speak. Crisply dressed in his red, formal military attire and looking every bit the senior military commander, I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect.
\nIt turned out to be a somewhat emotional farewell for a man who has given much of his life to the cadet organization in Canada, starting in his youth as a member of the Queen\u2019s York Rangers (QYR) Cadet Corps, and the past 25 years full-time, in key leadership positions with the cadets.
\nThe Major had just retired a day or two before attending the dinner.
\nMajor Sainsbury spoke of his good fortune of being a cadet in Aurora and how it led him to success, not only in private industry, but eventually to 25 years of exciting full-time work with cadets. Besides preparing him for success in life, it\u2019s where he met his wife, a fellow cadet.
\nMajor Sainsbury thanked the corps for allowing his last event as CO to be where his cadet career began \u2013 with the QYR Cadet Corps in Aurora.
\nHis address to the young people could have been titled \u201cAll I really need to know I learned in cadets.\u201d But you don\u2019t have to be a cadet, or young, to learn from the Major. Here, just in time for 2016 and edited for length by me, are the lessons the Major learned as a cadet:<\/p>\n

Do something today that your future self will say \u201cthank you.\u201d
\nFigure out your goals in life and work toward them. Make informed career choices based on your interests and strengths, and to remember the only limits in life are those you impose on yourself.
\nHave good friends to help you out. Be with people who make you happy and ditch the ones who don\u2019t. Build a group of supportive friends who can help you succeed in life. Have a best friend who knows you are \u201ccrazy,\u201d but still wants to be seen with you in public.
\nDo well in school. No matter how boring it is now, education will help you reach your goals. Strive for excellence to do your best \u2013 this will enable you to pursue your career and be on the right track. Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change your world.
\nDon\u2019t get in trouble \u2013 legal or otherwise. This, obviously, can ruin your future plans. If you think you are being pressured into anything illegal or immoral \u2013 walk away. It is much easier to stay out of trouble now than to get out of trouble later.
\nBe nice to your parents, teachers and officers. They are here to help you be the best you can be. The Major said \u201ceven though they seem to work hard at annoying you, they do the things they do because they care about you and want you to succeed.\u201d You don\u2019t get to choose your family, officers or teachers \u2013 but you do have to put up with them. Learn how to deal with people now, because when you\u2019re an adult you don\u2019t get to choose your boss or co-workers.
\nHelp out in your community. Volunteering not only improves your community, it helps build your happiness. The cadet corps will show you many ways to support your community. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
\nGet active. Take the dog for a walk. Play street hockey. Get outside. Participate in sports. People who are active as teens are active as adults. Being healthy and fit isn\u2019t a fad \u2013 it\u2019s a lifestyle.<\/p>\n

The core principles of the cadet program are leadership, citizenship and physical fitness. From where I stand, the young men and women of the Queen\u2019s York Rangers Army Cadet Corps consistently demonstrate these principles. Thank you to the officers who show strong leadership and dedication, especially Commanding Officer, Captain Phil J. Lusk and Deputy Commanding Officer, Captain Sue Lusk. And thank you to the parents who are instrumental in making the Corps a success. Finally, thank you to the cadets for their dedication and hard work. I look forward to next December\u2019s event!<\/p>\n

I invite you to contact me on any issue. Please call my community office at 905-750-0019, or visit my website at www.ChrisBallardMPP.ca. I look forward to hearing from you. <\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Chris Ballard, MPP Newmarket-Aurora About 25 years ago, author Robert Fulghum wrote a best seller called \u201cAll I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.\u201d It was full of homespun advice like \u201cShare everything. Play fair. Don\u2019t hit people. Flush. Clean up your own mess.\u201d I was reminded of Mr. Fulghum\u2019s book at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-3oh","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-11 05:00:19","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13037\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}