COLIN ROY AXUP
Deputy Commander
Australian Army Cadets

THE CADET EXPERIENCE: A TEST OF LEADERSHIP IN THE OUTDOORS

All too often Gen Y are accused of not taking responsibility for their own actions; cadets and leadership by cadets in the bush debunks this theory.

The Australian Army Cadets prides itself on the provision of leadership training for, and acceptance of responsibility by, young people.  The cadets are given numerous opportunities to demonstrate leadership, however the true test of the success, or otherwise, of a young cadets capacity to lead is the outdoors.

Colin will outline the part that “going bush” plays in the development of the cadet experience and in particular in developing the leadership potential and abilities of the cadets.

He will also touch on the impact that taking groups of young people out bush has on the development of the adult staff and their capacity to lead in the most trying of circumstances.

Colin Axup was born in Melbourne in 1966.  He first became a member of the Australian Army Cadets (then called the Australian Cadet Corps) in 1981, joining as a cadet at school.  After four years in the Corps and having achieved the rank of Warrant Officer Class One and being RSM, he resigned at the end of his schooling.

He rejoined the Corps in 1986 as an Officer of Cadets, being appointed in the rank of Lieutenant.  Serving in a number of appointments within the Melbourne High School Cadet Unit, he was promoted to Captain in 1992.

At the beginning of 1994 he was appointed Officer Commanding of the Melbourne High School Cadet Unit and promoted to Major.

With the establishment of a National Headquarters for the Australian Army Cadets in 2001, he was appointed Cadet National Liaison Officer (School Based Units) and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.  With the reorganisation of the HQ in 2005 he was reappointed at HQ ACC and became Staff Officer Grade One-Personnel.

On 1 July 2007 he was promoted to Colonel and appointed as Assistant (now Deputy) Commander Australian Army Cadets.

In Colonel Axup’s time as an OOC he has been actively involved in the training of both cadets and OOCs.  He has been directing staff on nine Adventure Training Award courses, including two as OPSO.  He has been involved in the cadet promotion courses being a platoon commander, senior instructor and, in 2001, the executive officer of the largest promotion course in Victoria since the 1970s.  Colonel Axup has lectured on many of the OOC courses conducted by MUR, including the inaugural Command Course.

Colonel Axup is the recipient of the Australian Cadet Forces Service Medal with 20 year Clasp and the Australian Defence Medal.

Colonel Axup has also been a member of the ADF, being commissioned into the Royal Australian Infantry in 1990.  Having served as both a platoon commander and intelligence officer in 5/6 RVR, he went on the inactive reserve list to enable more time to be put into the AAC.

Colonel Axup is a secondary school teacher at Melbourne High School, teaching history and international relations and is currently the Registrar.  He has degrees in history and politics and a post-graduate degree in Strategic and Defence Studies.

In his spare time he sails and swims, with the latter preferably not the result of being ineffective at the former.