hmmm
two words... Bring a Car.
its a fairly boring base.. smaller then Meaford.
if you go to google maps and search for Kanata Ontario, and then look on the satalite imagery of the Shirleys bay area you will be able to see the base and surrounding area..
Connaught is the National Rifle Ranges, and also the Regional small arms training center for the RCMP. also if youre working there you will probabbly see some of the guys from the dwyer hill ski team as well... (youll know them when you see them
) it also houses a rather large cadet camp. about half of the uptop area is reserved for the cadets. most of the info as far as what you will be doing specifically will be breifed to you upon the start of your tasking.
I worked out of the Cadet QM which was as per normal overworked and understaffed. if youre working there Expect to be working at an operational Tempo. meaning you will work some evenings and weekends. the two WO's who work it, WO Tremblay and WO Stacenko are awsome guys. they know thier stuff and if you work hard they will make sure you get time off if and when you need it. Expect to work hard, and work alot.. its very busy, and being infantry im going to guess this will be your first experiance working with CSS people.
you'll figure out the rest when you start.
However if you work as a GD, your primary job is Bi*ch. until the cadets arrive you'll be doing all sorts of grunt work. setting up mod, moving tables and furniture etc.. etc... all the prep work to get the camp ready for when the cadets hit the ground. once the cadets get there GDs become the security staff, so your job is to make sure the cadets and staff cadets play nice and dont procreate like rabbits. you'll work 12 hour shifts and depending you may work 4 on 4 off or something like that... mostly GDs will work nights and there will be one GD on duty during the day with a Duty Staff Cadet (at least thats how it worked last summer. things may have changed)
If for whatever reason youre a driver... expect to work some odd hours, you wont get as much time off as QM or GD but you have alot more downtime here and there. as opposed to weekends and such. Driving is easy as anything. you'll be driving Civilian vehicles, all rentals either 7 pax minivans or 8 pax full size vans. so hope you like A/C and FM Radio and CD Players.....
(and I was a HLVW Qualified MSE-Op working as a storesman.. go figure..)
now, as far as life for support staff in connaught, off duty.. there is a small gym there and alot of places to go riding or biking, so if you like PT you'll be able to fill your boots, the Drinking mess is usually empty but has a satilite TV and some couches as well as pool and some video games.. overall not bad, but not amazing. youre fairly close to a few fast food places in kanata, as well as Timmys and wendys at March rd. and Carling ave. (buy an ottawa/kanata road map to get an idea of where things are) there are alot of bars and clubs in ottawa which is roughly a 15-20 minute drive at most. there is a gentlemans club just off the base if youre so inclined to go to such an establishment.
there isnt alot that is within walking distance though. so either bring a bike, or if you have a car, bring that. (seriously.. im not jokeing.. a car is a freekin' godsend up there...)
Rations/Quarters: well if you look on the google maps you'll see a red roof building in connaught, that is the mess hall (kitchen) the food is good but nothing compared to Pettawawa or Trenton. but still good. our units Chief Cook is up there this summer supervising the kitchen, so if you run into a MCpl Dewolfe say hi for me
.
as for living accomodations, i will once again use the word Operational. if you look at the map you will see 4 white trailer looking things to the west of the mess hall... odds are you'll be in there... they are a roof over your head, nothing fancy but you'll get a bed, a locker or two, and if youre really lucky the A/C in your trailer will accually work. (ours did, and it was niiiiiiiice
) people bring up PS2's and DVD players and TV's and they are usually secure in the buildings.. we didnt have any problems with theft last summer. you'll get to know your co-workers and other support staff very well. and will probabbly become fairly close knit so like i said. there shouldnt be any theft going on..
things to beware of, brace yourself for..
i'll be honest. working for the cadets can be absolutly FUBAR Retarded at times.. Expect them (cadets and CIC) exhibit little to no common sense at times, and the standard of professionalism youre used to in meaford or borden is non-existent there. There are some AWSOME CIC officers up there too though.. Capt Bill Currie is excellent and there are a few others who you will run into.
but you will have moments where your patience will definatly be tested, and where you will end up doing their job for them on occation.
just take some deep breaths and move on. lol.. going from working with the PRes or Cadets is a HUGE culture shock and adjustment..
all in all it managed to be the worst tasking ive ever had and yet the best tasking ive ever had.
basically take the bad with the good, and all in all, you'll come out of it a smarter soldier. Trust me, it will definatly be a learning experiance.
Cheers!
Josh