Former Blacktown Boys High School cadet Michael Holubko, along with Bruce Gow, a former student of Blacktown High, visited the current Blacktown Army Cadets unit to meet with Officer Commanding Natalie Johnson.
The purpose of the visit was to compare what cadets were like around 50 years ago, when Michael was a student cadet, with what the Blacktown Army Cadets program looks like today.
During a recorded interview, Natalie spoke about the current cadet unit, its role in developing young people, and how cadets today continue to learn leadership, discipline, teamwork, confidence and service to the community.
For Michael, the visit was a chance to reflect on his own cadet days at Blacktown Boys High School half a century ago.
While much has changed over the years, the meeting showed that many of the values that shaped cadets in the past are still important today.
The discussion also touched on the upcoming Blacktown Boys and Girls High Schools 50th year reunion, to be held on Saturday, 8 August 2026.
Natalie advised that it may be possible to have some representation from the current Blacktown Army Cadets at the reunion. That would create a special link between former students and cadets from 50 years ago and the young people now carrying on the cadet tradition in Blacktown.
The reunion is expected to bring together former students from Blacktown Boys High and Blacktown Girls High to celebrate friendships, school memories and the shared history of the two schools.
Having current cadets represented at the event would add a meaningful touch, especially for former students like Michael who remember the cadet program as an important part of their school years.
The visit highlighted how Blacktown’s cadet history has not disappeared. It has changed form, but the connection between past and present remains strong.
For former students preparing for the August reunion, the meeting with Natalie Johnson and the Blacktown Army Cadets was a timely reminder that local history is not just something kept in old photographs. Sometimes, it is still marching forward in the next generation.
Image below: Blacktown cadets 1972, Mick sitting.
