An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2019 www.dfmagazine.ie 8 | BY PTE EOIN O'SHEA (AR), D COY, 7 INF BN M ost people familiar with the Army Reserve (AR) understand that its personnel are often mo- tivated by a genuine desire to give back to the State for which they voluntarily serve in uniform – and that such dedica- tion spreads further than the perimeter of their home barracks. Pte Dylan Hempenstall (AR), of D Coy, 7 Inf Bn, lives up to such an idea. On 10th December 2018, in a ceremony held at Dublin Castle, Pte Hempenstall honoured both himself and his unit by receiving the 'Gold' Gaisce Award. I met with Pte Hemp- enstall to find out more about what this auspicious achievement actually involved. The 'Gold' Gaisce Award is the highest level bestowed to those who take part. The requirements for the award are to take an activity for each of the following five areas. Community Involvement [Min. 1 Hour a week for 52 weeks] "For this challenge area I used my role as a Cub Leader. Our weekly meetings, along with all the activities such as camps and hikes, exceeded far more time than that needed for the award. I also took on the ex- tra challenge of trying to help some of the cubs (aged 9-11) through their Chief Scout Award, which is the highest award that can be obtained in scouting at their age. The highlight from this area was seeing five of them being presented the award after all the effort that was put in." Physical Recreation [Min. 1 Hour a week for 52 weeks] "For this challenge area I took back up swimming. It was something I did a lot of when I was younger and I regretted not keeping it up – but other things got in the way. It was great doing this award as it en- abled me to re-invest focus into swimming; it's now something that I'll keep up." Personal skill [Min. 1 Hour a week for 52 weeks] "For this, I used the RDF where I attend training every week. Some of the training I completed over the course of my gold Gaisce included FIBUA [Fighting in Built Up Areas], LFTT [Live Fire Tactical Training] and Intro to CRC [Crowd and Riot Control]." Adventure Journey [cover a distance of greater than 80km over a min. 4 days & 3 nights] "I planned a route from Kilternan to Glendalough over the Dublin Mountain, and Wicklow, Ways. I completed this with two friends, carrying all the gear we needed for the 4 days (including food, tents, cook- ing equipment, etc). The biggest challenge was the fact my boots were actually pretty worn and ended up causing problems. From both the RDF and the Scouts, I was able to look after my feet properly, enabling me to complete the adventure journey." Interestingly, Pte Hempenstall originally undertook the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Gaisce awards to aid him in joining the PDF as a cadet. However – through the completion of his accountancy course and year-long internship – he made the deci- sion to 'go down the accountancy route' whilst still training in the RDF. On being asked what he has taken from completion of the year involved, he states: "The Gaisce as a whole has taught me so many valuable skills. It made me realise that if I set my mind to a goal, and plan and work towards this, it could be achieved. It helped me with organisation and managing my time." Such determination seems to both assist in, and be further developed through, Pte Hemp- enstall's reservist activities. Pte Hempenstall currently works in 'Au- dit - Financial Services' for Deloitte. As part of his training contract, he is also study- ing to achieve his Chartered Accountant qualification. However, his Army Reserve involvement and Gaisce Awards are not the only features, which mark him out as 'not your typical accountant'. Throughout his four years in the RDF, Pte Hempenstall has also established a name for himself as a 'magician' of sorts! No D Coy social event is complete without watching him perform some genuinely inconceivable card tricks. Pte Hempenstall is one of many reserv- ists who have managed to juggle (magi- cian pun intended) the challenges of fam- ily and friends, civilian career, community involvement, and army training. We wish him the very best in his continued involve- ment in D Coy. Pte Hempenstall at Dublin Castle to receive his award. Pte Hempenstall, D Coy, 7 Inf Bn, receives his Gold Gaisce Award from President Michael D. Higgins on 10th December 2018. Pte Hempenstall during FIBUA [Fighting in Built Up Areas] training.

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