Jnr ranks Christmas functions

[matchbox]

We regularly have to sit through speeches in which the CO insists we're the future of the regiment, backbone of the army etc etc
I appreciate that a number of privileges are afforded to senior ranks, but surely it's not too much to ask that jnrs are permitted a reasonable Christmas function? The senior ball has been planned for months with excellent catering, fully-fledged Christmas wonderland decor and a number of juniors enlisted to serve both food and drink. We were given transport to local amusements, a chinese buffet, and the mess bar open for an hour (till 11.30) on our return.
Is this the norm?

 

[cbgramc]

If your PMC,PEC get it arranged everyone agrees to pay for it and it doesn’t turn into Regimental boxing then I’m sure your RSM will help you arrange a function. From experience most juniors want a Sgts Mess function for free and when something is sorted out they all moan they don’t like the formality of the night.

 

[PartTimePongo]

We regularly have to sit through speeches in which the CO insists we're the future of the regiment, backbone of the army etc etc
I appreciate that a number of privileges are afforded to senior ranks, but surely it's not too much to ask that jnrs are permitted a reasonable Christmas function? The senior ball has been planned for months with excellent catering, fully-fledged Christmas wonderland decor and a number of juniors enlisted to serve both food and drink. We were given transport to local amusements, a chinese buffet, and the mess bar open for an hour (till 11.30) on our return.
Is this the norm?

Last minute.com is the norm if you don't get a few Juniors together and plan a proper function.

Our Jnrs are having a function soon, and it's shaping up damn nicely for a night of serious legend if it goes as planned. If you want a proper function, you need about half a dozen of you to get together and plan it properly , once you know what sort of budget you have to play with.

 

[thegimp]

have you been away PTP?

 

[The_Duke]

We were given transport to local amusements, a chinese buffet, and the mess bar open for an hour (till 11.30) on our return.
Is this the norm?

So who planned that? Bottom line is that the junior ranks party will be a reflection of the amount of effort the junior ranks are willing to put in.

If you organised it yourself, then you have to look to your own organising committee to ask why they didn't do better.

If it was organised by your unit headshed, why did you not get involved to make it better or ask them to provide what you want, not what they think you want?

Officers and SNCOs Balls work because effort is put into making them work, and money made available by the payment of mess subs throughout the year and reasonably priced tickets. If the junior are willing to do the same, then they can have the same.

Alternatively, have an all ranks function at Coy level - better budget, experience of planning mess functions to carry over, contacts etc.

 

[matchbox]

Our PMC has been there since the beginning of time and is nice, but doesn't party. My regiment's very top heavy & has been for a long time. Over the last couple of years, a lot of jnrs have been recruited and we've started having social nights and forming our own sqn clique which makes for better attendance and better training. We organise our own nights all the time & a few of us wld be more than willing to organise official functions because a reg sanctioned night comes with premises and a cheap bar. The PMC did want to stand down but insists only a Cpl can take the role. There is only one that attends and she has far too many other commitments.
I know a function requires effort and we're more than willing to put that in. A number of us don't have military stripes, but years of experience and proven competence in civvie life. Surely rank is irrelevant if we can prove we can do the job?
My question was more whether jnr ranks functions are supposed to be crap? Do the regiment hold it because they have to and would much rather not? Or would they appreciate some privates and Lcpl stepping forward and actually doing something worthwhile? and what would the procedure be? normal chain of command? or speak to PMC? I'm confident OC would side with us but would it be underhand to go straight to him?

 

[matchbox]

have you been away PTP?

what does that mean?

 

[PartTimePongo]

No he meant me Matchbox. Just off Arrse doing real life stuff Gimp

 

[matchbox]

 

[polar69]

We've had some blinding Christmas do's in my regiment but they have all been organised by the Junior Ranks Commitee, Bar commitee, ents commitee, whatever you call it in you sqn.

Why should the officers and snco's organise your do exactly? Who do you think organises their do's ?

If you organise at the last minute you are going to end up with some twat who just plays Now56 or whatever for a disco and a cold buffet.

Remember PPPPPP.

 

[matchbox]

We've had some blinding Christmas do's in my regiment but they have all been organised by the Junior Ranks Commitee, Bar commitee, ents commitee, whatever you call it in you sqn.

Why should the officers and snco's organise your do exactly? Who do you think organises their do's ?

If you organise at the last minute you are going to end up with some twat who just plays Now56 or whatever for a disco and a cold buffet.

Remember PPPPPP.

I'm not suggesting officers & snco's organise our function. We want to organise our own do & would be good at it. PMC won't let us though because we're all privates. We don't have a Junior Ranks Commitee or Bar Commitee or official commitee of any kind. We only have a group of mates stuck with a shit christmas party because we're part of a regiment that has plenty of seniors, a lot of privates, and nothing inbetween.

 

[msr]

Speak to your Tp Comd or OC.

msr

 

[EScotia]

We've had some blinding Christmas do's in my regiment but they have all been organised by the Junior Ranks Commitee, Bar commitee, ents commitee, whatever you call it in you sqn.

Why should the officers and snco's organise your do exactly? Who do you think organises their do's ?

If you organise at the last minute you are going to end up with some twat who just plays Now56 or whatever for a disco and a cold buffet.

Remember PPPPPP.

I'm not suggesting officers & snco's organise our function. We want to organise our own do & would be good at it. PMC won't let us though because we're all privates. We don't have a Junior Ranks Commitee or Bar Commitee or official commitee of any kind. We only have a group of mates stuck with a s*** christmas party because we're part of a regiment that has plenty of seniors, a lot of privates, and nothing inbetween.

Well on your next Mess/club meeting propose that the PMC nominates a PEC and an Entertainments Committee and suggest the membership put their names forward for consideration so the membership votes them in. If the PMC says the rules do not allow it, propose a review of Mess/Club rules.

 

[angular]

Speak to your Tp Comd or OC.

msr

Surely you mean the PSI

 

[PartTimePongo]

PSAO is the account holder though , so getting a few ideas and costing them out is important, unless you want to upset the bloke with half planned schemes.

 

[GuybrushThreepwood]

We had ours this weekend. Yes it was run like a SNCOs mess function, but everyone loved the formality and structure of it. Might have had something to do with the wine being constantly topped up every few minutes.

 

[Cuddles]

TA CO: RSM, I think we should have a do for the wives and girlfriends?

RSM:I don't think that's a good idea sir. We should have one for the wives and another one for the girlfriends...

Tish-boom...

I really didn't know tumbleweed grew down in Gwent...

 

[brighton hippy]

not a traditional company do then

strippers junior officer abused by said strippers
live goldfish eating contest
end of the evening PSI teaching the company knob how to survive a riot.
by getting him to hide behind a table while every bit of glassware was chucked at him

 

[The_Duke]

PSAO is the account holder though , so getting a few ideas and costing them out is important, unless you want to upset the bloke with half planned schemes.

He may hold the account on behalf of the OC due to his understanding of the ridiculously complicated and archaic military financial system, but the control lies with the OC.

You make your case to the OC, who then discusses the budget with the PSAO to ensure that the plan survives contact with reality, and then allocates funds accordingly.

 

[spad]

We normally have a Sqn do, run by the seniors, and year on year we have a different theme, sometimes formal sometimes fancy dress, depends on what else needs to be wrapped into the night. (such as awards etc)

but on personal experiences trying to run a Jnr mess is hard work, we are just a sqn supporting a reg regiment, so were fairly small any way but have 3 locations dotted about 40 odd miles apart,

so we always have the do at the HQ but because most of the Jnr are at our out station trying to organise anything this year was stopped by how hard it was to get coms, plus the PSAO didn’t seem to know what we could and couldn’t do with our own bars profit and trying to get a formal mess meeting with the ssm and enough voting members was impossible, especially since travel wasn't authorised despite other activities needed to be done on the night of the said meeting.

So in short, it is possible if the Qmsi was more accommodating and the PSAO knew what we could and could not do.

It’s been done before and I planned to do one next year but trying to get the upper tier on side was a balls ache, mostly caused by all the issues with budgets this year (understandable) but somewhat frustrating!!

plus some of the older and bolder Cpl who should of feck off up ages ago don't always wanted to do what the overriding majority of the Juniors want to do, and when they hold the power it always makes for a good informal argument in the bar, which they normally end up with them getting ignored and go off crying when no one wants to listern to there tales of camps when they were young and the TA was a piss up orginistion