Matthew Holland – St John Cadet of the Year.

Double honour for Matthew Holland – our new St John Cadet of the Year.

Congratulations to Matthew Holland who is the new St John Guernsey Cadet of the Year and the Commandery Cadet of the Year, for the offshore islands.

Matthew  has been a member of St John for more than eight years. His interest was sparked after someone from St John visited his primary school and did a first aid demonstration. Matthew remembers the day clearly. He said “I found it really interesting and wanted to learn more so I signed up to join Badgers”. At the age of ten having completed his time with Badgers he transferred to Cadets and continued developing his first aid knowledge and other skills.

Learning first aid is a skill that has already proved useful in real life emergencies. One day Matthew found himself coming to the aid of someone who had collapsed at his school. He was able to look after the patient until more help arrived. On another occasion he also put his knowledge into action to help someone who had fallen and suffered an ankle injury.

Matthew is looking forward to this new role and is keen to attend more events as a First Aider this year. He’s looking forward to joining other members of St John on duty at the Liberation Day celebrations and the summer shows.

As Cadet of the Year Matthew will represent St John at various high profile events including the annual Charybdis memorial service, the Bailiwick Act of Remembrance in November and the Liberation Day Church Parade in May.

His new appointment means he will also be a role model for the young people in his Division in Guernsey.

Matthew says “It feels like a real honour to be appointed. It is nice to think I will be able assist in the running of meetings and also help others in many different ways.”

Shortly after being named as Guernsey’s Cadet of the Year Matthew took part in the Commandery Cadet of the Year Competition against other young people from Jersey and the Isle of Man. He saw off the other competitors to win the prestigious title of Commandery Cadet of the Year.

Like many cadets Matthew is hoping to use his experience in St John in his future career, with ambitions on becoming a nurse or paramedic, or even combining his music talents with his interest in caring for people by applying for the Royal Marines Band, where bandsmen are also army medics.