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Lt(N) Dickie
Cadet Affiliation: Lieutenant (Navy), Royal Canadian Sea Cadets
Sylena Dickie is the Training Officer for
RCSCC Columbia, in Aldergrove BC. She is also qualified in Dispute
Resolution and an instructor trainer for Canadian Power Squadron –
Radio Operator Certification amongst other things.
Sylena got her start in Air Cadets in Edmonton, AB. After a few
long years within the girl guide program, she felt perhaps it was
time to start a new chapter in life. Truth be told, her best
friend’s sister wouldn’t shut up about the program and in true
Sylena fashion, she went that very first time just to keep her
quiet. It didn’t take long to get her hooked.
Sometime down the road, Sylena fell in love with the drums and
became a band geek for the duration of her summers at Penhold, AB.
In her last summer as a staff cadet, Sylena was a basic flight
sergeant; she received 3 commendations from the base commander for
exemplary behaviour and service… And one sunny day toward the end
of the summer, someone sent her home. This was at a time in the
programme before any cadet had a chance and a right to be heard,
and on that note, a few months early and lacking any sort of
support, Sylena departed the air cadet program.
After coming across someone who remains a close friend and mentor
to this day, Sylena was convinced to give the program another
chance….this time, within the sea cadet programme. After a year as
a CI, Sylena was approached (actually-coerced) by the ACO Sea to
help out in Vernon as she lived in nearby Kelowa it seemed like a
reasonable request, so off she went. After a mere nine months in
uniform on the sea side, and at twenty one years of age, Sylena
took over command of RCSCC Kalamalka.
I suppose one could say that ended in somewhat of a disaster, as
the ‘senior’ adults in the area didn’t exactly embrace her 20
something enthusiasm and so she then stepped down as CO and moved
on to greener pastures – teaching English to wee children in
Korea.
Having lost her career building the avionics systems in fighter
jets from Bolivia after 9/11, Sylena took off to Korea to teach
English. Her students ranged from 18 months to 45 years old. She
was in a foreign country, immersed in a language she didn’t speak,
on her own. It was a phenomenal growing experience for her that
she loved every minute of.
Upon returning to Canada Sylena ventured to the Lower Mainland and
began working with RCSCC Mariner (again at the request of the Sea
Office) and then to RCSCC Columbia – apparently the Sea Office
spent a great deal of time bossing her around ;) Sylena prides
herself on her skill in alternative methods of instruction and
encourages the masses to embrace brain based learning. It’s all
fun and games until someone breaks out the power point.
Sylena also spends a good deal of time working with the sailors in
Pac Region, she loves running the shore office at North Sail and
learning everything she can to be a better nautical type. She has
her White Sail Two and is awfully proud of it.
Sylena has spent 5 summers in HMCS QUADRA, most recently having
spent two years as the Base Human Rights Advisor. Driven by a
desire to seek out change and growth in the program, she feels as
though she has made the most difference in the program here.
Cadet-World as we know it today had some growing pains – Sylena is
the only senior staff member that has been there through it all
(the good and the bad). When others were quick to walk away when
things got tempestuous, Sylena would always be the one to pull it
out of the fire, and on more than several occasions use her own
funds to keep the site up and running (or rebuild it from
scratch). She dealt with ornery hosting sites from England and the
US (while half a world away in Korea) until she signed on our
current super tech Lt(N) Kevin Deck – and now he gets the honours.
Always one with vision, Sylena hopes that CW will continue to be a
place of learning, growing and above all else fun for everyone
involved in cadets – whether they be sea, air or army, Canadian,
American, British or otherwise.
Sylena has two cats and a fantastic husband, she is still the big
mean nasty one, but is a generally decent human being who is
forever driven by her desire to see people given the support they
warrant and desire.
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