The Cadet Corporal Read Free Page A

had Pat Sheehan and Gary Andrews.Dianne Williams and Lucy Hind were also together. That left one boy and one girl: Jack Halyday and Kirsty.
    Kirsty glanced at Halyday and wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to share with him! Besides, you said boys and girls can’t share.”
    â€œYou could go in with the other girls,” Graham suggested, looking hopefully at them. The frozen smiles on their faces indicated they were not keen on this idea. Kirsty looked at them hopefully but Dianne shook her head. “Be too crowded,” she said.
    â€œKirsty smells anyway,” Halyday commented.
    â€œShut up Halyday!” Kirsty retorted. She and Halyday were both in the same Year 8 class and often made barbed comments to each other.
    â€œYou will have to hutchie up on your own then,” Graham suggested.
    Kirsty nodded. “I will do that.”
    Graham looked around for two trees she could use. The nearest were almost in line with his own hutchie and a few metres off. “What about these?” he suggested, walking over to them.
    Kirsty again nodded. Graham added, “You will only have one side, a lean-to. That won’t give you much privacy.”
    â€œThat will be alright,” Kirsty replied, giving Graham what he took to be a meaningful look.
    That unsettled him some more. ‘Is she giving me the “come on”?’ he wondered.
    As he turned to go Kirsty asked, “Will you help me put it up please?”
    Graham didn’t want to encourage her but she smiled so appealingly that he gave in. “Oh alright!” he answered.
    For the next ten minutes he helped teach her how to tie a slip knot and then put up the hutchie. As she was fumbling to tie the knot at one end he reached forward in exasperation to take the cord from her. In doing so their hands touched. He instantly pulled back but their eyes met. ‘Heavens! They are pretty eyes,’ he thought. For the first time he noted tiny flecks of gold in the blue of her irises. For a long moment they held each others gaze. She smiled and Graham felt his heart rate shoot up.
    Then he looked down in flustered amazement. ‘Maybe?’ he thought. ‘I might be in luck here.’ Then he shook his head. ‘Don’t be silly boy! Be strong!’ But Oh! What a temptation!

CHAPTER 2
    FIRST TESTS
    By the time the sun began to go down Graham was in a state of indecision he found very unsettling. Doubts and hopes warred with each other. The result was a nagging feeling of dissatisfaction and uneasiness. ‘Damn!’ he thought. ‘I really wanted to enjoy this camp.’
    Until the company had arrived in the field training area at Bunyip River he had been enjoying it. It was already the end of the second day of a nine day annual camp and he did not want to think about how soon it would all be over. The unit came from Cairns and had travelled to Townsville in coaches the previous morning. The afternoon had been spent at Lavarack Barracks doing weapon training with the Steyr rifle, something Graham had really enjoyed. The cadets had then been given the opportunity to practise in the electronic range, the Weapon Training Simulator. Graham had done very well at this, his shooting being only bettered by Capt Conkey and CSM Cleland.
    The previous night had been spent in the barracks, allowing them a taste of army life which Graham had found very enjoyable as he was seriously beginning to consider an army career when he left school. That morning the cadets had been put over the obstacle course by army instructors and had then gone to the range to actually fire live ammunition from the Steyr. Once again Graham had gained an excellent score, being third best shot, beaten by Sgt Grenfell and CSM Cleland.
    Graham didn’t particularly mind that as he respected and admired both. ‘Anyway,’ he consoled himself, ‘Capt Conkey has always said that the CSM should be the best soldier in the