A program that can be traced to the late 1800s in Britain is celebrating their centennial in Canada this year. Sea Cadets teach teens various life skills such as leadership, teamwork and problem-solving. The older cadets are joined by the Navy League that offers similar training to younger children who can rise through the ranks and then move into the Sea Cadet program.

Monday night, the local #99 Assiniboine Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corp and #33 Moose Jaw Navy League held their annual ceremonial review to present awards and recognize their best members. As part of the event, Gordon Basaraba, Sea Cadet Chair for the Province of Saskatchewan, made a special presentation for the centennial.

"For the 100th anniversary, we decided that we would do a challenge coin and the challenge coin dates back to the Romans," explained Basaraba who was once a member of the local unit when he was a boy. "We made a coin this year with four corps from southern Saskatchewan and three corps from northern Saskatchewan on the coin and we presented it to each officer and cadet in Saskatchewan as a memento."

Basaraba believes all of the cadet programs, sea, air and army, have a special place in the community as they help to develop our future leaders while also offering affordable, structured opportunities that some youth may never get. Cadets will get exposure to sailing, camping and even flying experience based on the branch that they're associated with. Summer camps are also offered that will see cadets travel the country and sometimes the world to take part in extra training.