Jun 30 – New RSM For The Regiment
Newly commissioned officer Captain Dean Castrey handed over his pacing stick to WO1 Christian Canepa who is the new Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.
Captain Castrey, who has served in the Regiment for almost 20 years, has been the RSM for the past 18 months. He was recently selected for a Late Entry Commission and his new position will be the Aide-de-Camp to His Excellency, The Governor.
When he took on the role of RSM in January 2015 he felt he had achieved his lifelong ambition. Talking about how he feels about surpassing this milestone, he said:
“It’s a bit unreal to be honest, my aim was always to be the RSM, indeed it is a post I would like to have kept, but all good things come to an end. So this is a new challenge and I’m looking forward to it. It will be very different to what I am used to, but to have passed that career goal is really something quite special.”
Captain Castrey has thoroughly enjoyed the position of RSM, something which he feels has enabled him to represent the soldier’s needs to senior leadership, he explains:
“As RSM one of your roles is to be the senior advisor to the Commanding Officer. Being in that position is quite a privileged place because you can really put the soldiers’ interests up to the main man straight away. It’s important to look after our soldier’s because without them there is no Regiment and we are extremely lucky because our Commanding Officer is there through and through for the Regiment.”
Over the last 18 months Captain Castrey has been the President of the Warrant Officers’ and Sergeants (WO’s & Sgts) Mess and re-integrated the Corporal’s (Cpl’s) Mess. He has strived to build a cohesive Mess which can help boost morale and inspire junior soldiers to progress, he said:
“I think that the WO’s & Sgts Mess, or as I call it ‘the engine room’ has really jelled together so well over the last 18 month, especially in regards to functions and going away on daytrips. Having a strong Mess is a real positive for the Regiment and helps everyone to bond together. It is especially important now that we have re-integrated the Cpl’s Mess. It is good for the Lance Cpls and Cpls to learn about mess life and to understand the etiquette so they don’t go into the mess blind. It also gives them a voice to the Commanding Officer because the RSM is the President of the Cpl’s mess too. On top of all that, having a Cpl’s Mess becomes a good incentive for Private soldiers who want to promote in the future.”
WO1 Canepa joined the Regiment in 1997 when he was 18 years old. During his time he has been to Afghanistan, Canada, Cyprus, Gambia, Malawi, Morocco and the UK. Within his career he has particularly enjoyed the operational side of military life, he said:
“The biggest highlight of my career to date was an operational tour of Afghanistan on Op Herrick 6 with 1 Royal Anglian in 2007. It changed my whole career, it changed my life really. It kind of made me more relaxed and calm and able to assess situations much better, not just in the Military, but in my life in general.
“I have also particularly enjoyed being the Training Warrant Officer because you are conducting and planning all the live firing training for the Battalion in different countries outside of Gibraltar. It is quite a big responsibility which is what I like. When the plan comes together, and it all works, it is a really good feeling of accomplishment.”
As the new RSM WO1 Canepa is looking forward to the challenge his role will bring him. He aims to focus on capability and morale, he said:
“We are a very busy Regiment and each Company has multiple commitments, everybody is busy and we still have to deal with a number of other tasks. We have good quality Warrant Officers’, but they will look to me to assist them on a bigger scale. I think juggling the commitments with the amount of people we have available in Gibraltar is probably going to be one of the biggest challenges ahead. I would like to focus on operational capability, we have a strong standard now, but there is always room for improvement. It is also important for me to strive to improve the quality of life for the troops."
WO1 Canepa is very proud to take up the position of RSM, even though it took a while for him to absorb the significance of his promotion, he explains:
“To be honest it didn’t really hit me until I got an e-mail from Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Vowels and he really put it into perspective. He said ‘you must be really proud of the position that you have achieved’. It took a while to sink in but it is definitely a proud moment. I’m particularly grateful for the support of my wife and family, which has been so important throughout my career because of the amount of time we spend away from home.”
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