Officer in Charge of Marine Cadet Detachment
Name: Tina Stanier
Occupation: Hospital Training Manager
Sea Cadet Unit: Warrington
Would you like to know the secret of eternal youth? Well, speak to Lt Tina Stanier – Officer Commanding Marine Cadet Detachment, Warrington Sea Cadets.
Lt Stanier – the only female officer currently serving in the Marine Cadets – sees her involvement with the Marine Cadets as the perfect stress relief for her day job as a Deputy Manager responsible for training at the local hospital.
“Being involved with the Marine Cadets keeps me young,” she says. “It’s also very rewarding, especially seeing youngsters develop and grow in such a stimulating environment.”
Of a total of 40 or so cadets at the Warrington Unit, 10 are Marine Cadets. Lt Stanier’s involvement started when her own son, Simon, joined Wigan Sea Cadets back in 1998. She was asked if she would like to help out as an adult instructor. It wasn’t long before she too was climbing the ranks. “I became a Petty Officer in 1999,” she says, “then in 2001 I applied to the Officer Selection Board and was promoted to sub-Lieutenant.”
A short while later, Lt Stanier formed a junior section at Warrington, before becoming Area Staff Officer for Juniors. These days, she teaches everything, but her specialist responsibilities include range conductor for weapons training.
“The Marine Cadets have all the same opportunities as the Sea Cadets,” she says, “but they also learn amphibious combat and concealment skills used by the Royal Marines. The Marines and the Sea Cadets parade together, but the training is separate.
“It’s good having a mix of Sea Cadets and Marine Cadets,” she adds. “There’s healthy competition between them. They like to try to outdo each other in drill and smartness. Personally, I prefer the Marine Cadets because I like being outside more.”