The Federal Cadet of the Year assessments were held online again this year.
This occurred today, Sunday, 23rd February 2025, and the following candidates are congratulated for being nominated by their respective Groups and for all putting in an impressive performance on the day, and all can be considered winners.
The candidates were:
Candidates for the Female Award
- Leading Cadet Amelia Leong of Victoria Group
- Leading Cadet Chirathi Lokupitiya of Queensland Group
- Sergeant Kit Yi Lee of South Australia Group
- Leading Cadet Aura Bhatti of New South Wales Group
Candidates for the Male Award
- Corporal Jay Quinlan of Victoria Group
- Corporal Jamison Dustin of New South Wales Group
- Corporal Elijah Grant of Queensland Group
A similar rigorous process was used as in previous years, again using the capabilities of MS Teams and from the comfort of the candidates’ (and assessors’) homes.
The selection process included the following contributing components which were weighed to produce a result.
- Knowledge Test 15%
- Inspection 10%
- Presentation 30%
- Interview 35%
For the presentation, each candidate prepared a fifteen-minute audio-visual presentation delivered to the activity coordinator (Federal Education Commissioner, Gp Comr. Brendan Willard) a week before the event and marked by members of Federal Staff. The presentations were all well done, and candidates were congratulated on the quality of the preparation and execution of that task.
As usual, it was a tough decision for the selection panel, with all the candidates impressing in one way or another. They represented both their Squadrons and Groups very well.
At the end of the afternoon, the results were announced:
Federal Cadet of the Year (Female)
- Leading Cadet Chirathi Lokupitiya of Queensland Group.
Federal Cadet of the Year (Male)
- Corporal Jamison Dustin of New South Wales Group.
Chief Commissioner Ian Rickards OAM, LM., DSA and Bar, MSA congratulated all the candidates and especially the winners and runners-up on their significant efforts and achievements. He further congratulated Commissioners Brendan Willard, Brian Grinter, DSA, MSA, Ray King, MSA and Joel Mortimer on the organisation of the day, he also thanked everyone who assisted with the assessments.
As, for obvious reasons, no presentation could take place on the day – certificates, badges and trophies will be presented at an appropriate opportunity in the not-too-distant future.
