Photos & Video: Open House At The Regiment

More than 50 people attended the Open House at Warwick Camp this past weekend as the Bermuda Regiment hosted a volunteer recruitment day.

Attendees at Saturday’s Open Day heard from senior officers as well as serving soldiers, and got the chance to handle and hear about weapons from the Regiment army and meet specialist units like Boat Troop and the Operational Support Unit [OSU] which is trained to support the police in the event of large-scale civil disorder on land.

Omar Hinds, 28, said he had been encouraged by the presentations and displays to sign up with a view to moving up the military ladder.

Mr Hinds, a barber from Pembroke, added: “I definitely want to join. I want to take it in stages – Corporal first, then up. I’d like to be a full-time soldier if possible. I was most definitely encouraged by what I heard. It all looks really interesting.”

Shundray Gilbert, 18, said: “I definitely want to join because I want to become a leader. Whatever I learn in the Regiment, I can take to college with me and it’ll help me with whatever I want to do in life.”

Ryan Robinson, 19, from Pembroke, added she was considering a career in the police and wanted to boost her fitness and mental toughness.

The supermarket cashier and cocktail waitress said: “I’ve worked with a few of the soldiers here and they said there were some girls who took an interest in it.”

Ms. Robinson added: “I want to try it for the experience and the exposure – be a better person physically and mentally. From what I’ve heard, it’s encouraging. It’s also kind of scary, but I would be keen to apply.”

Regiment Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Michael Foster-Brown said the event attracted more than double the number at a Government House reception last year – which he said boded well for volunteer recruitment in the future.

He added: “We had a really good day and we were able to give them a better idea of what Regiment life is like by bringing them into Warwick Camp.

“Hopefully, we gave people a flavour of the benefits of service and what service is actually like after meeting people who have been through the process themselves and seeing what life is like for a serving soldier.”

Col Foster-Brown said: “As a result, even people who decide not to join the Regiment are better informed, which is a good thing and I hope they tell their friends about us and the good things we offer.”

He added: “There are a lot of people who served a long time ago who don’t necessarily know what the modern Regiment is really like – people saw what service today consists of and I think they liked it.”

And he said that those who could not make it to the Open Day could contact the Regiment to arrange a visit or come to special recruitment nights scheduled for 6pm on Tuesday, September 30 or Thursday, October 2.

And Commander-in-Chief Governor George Fergusson also came along to speak to potential volunteers and see the displays.

Mr Fergusson said: “There is a shift going on, which I very much welcome, to show people that the Regiment is an interesting, challenging, useful and enjoyable organisation to be part of – for women and men.

“Today’s event is an occasion for people to come and have a look, talk to some currently serving soldiers – and decide for themselves whether it is for them”.

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