Fifth Annual Christmas Mess Dinner a huge success for local air cadets

The Whitecourt Air Cadets treated their parents to a night of delicious food recently as they prepared the squadron’s annual Christmas Mess Dinner at the Whitecourt Legion. This is the fifth year for the event which sees cadets preparing and serving a meal to their parents. “Captain Westling and I were invited to a mess dinner at another squadron. It’s a military tradition and it was something that we wanted to put into play at our squadron. It’s a way for the cadets to spoil their parents at Christmas and thank them for the support they give them throughout the year in the program,” said Lori Westling, Air Cadet League of Canada Squadron Advisor.

Starting just after lunch, the cadets peeled potatoes and carrots, made centrepieces, set the tables, and cut up meats. The large group of children ages 12 to 18 were split into groups made up of senior and junior members so that the juniors could learn from the older cadets. “They mentored the younger ones and helped them. We have had quite a few new cadets join our program and some of them have never peeled a potato, whipped up cream, made a cake, or set a table. We hope they learned from it. They had a lot of fun and got along very well.”

The cadets also made dessert from scratch and mashed the potatoes. Once the tables were finished and the meal was ready to go, the cadets helped each other get ready and dressed up in their full-dress uniforms. Just before the parents arrived, the cadets lined up in the hallway and, as their parents walked through the door, each cadet would lead their own parents to their seats, take their coats, and get them refreshments. They also served their parents the three-course meal. As each course of the dinner was completed, the cadets would clear the dishes and retrieve anything their parents needed.

Westling said the event gives the cadets a confidence boost because they get to see their parent’s reactions to the hard work they did. “It gives them confidence for what they have achieved and learned during the day. They are excited to have their parents come and see what they’ve done. They are also happy and proud to serve their parents and they have fun while they are doing it.”

The mess dinner is one of the oldest traditions in the military. Parents who attended were treated to comradery amongst the commanding officers and took part in certain traditions such as not sitting until the head table entered the room and not leaving the table without first asking for permission. This made for quite a few laughs as those who forgot to ask prior ended up having to sing or answer trivia. Another tradition was the passing of the port ahead of the toasts which involved every guest pouring themselves some dark juice from the port. The trick was to not let the port touch the table at any point. Once the meal concluded, everyone worked together to clear the tables and chairs.