Sgt Hanbidge will be retiring from the CAF on 24 April 24. She has decided to hold her DWD event at noon on 16 April 2024, at Pub Italia, 434 Preston St, Ottawa, Ontario.
All CME members wishing to attend and celebrate 43 years of service with Sgt Hanbidge are requested to RSVP at David.tessier@forces.gc.ca. Any CME members wishing to send Sgt Hanbidge well-wishes for her retirement are request to send them to me at the same address above.
Rebecca was born and raised in Saskatoon, SK. She completed high school in 1982 and joined the reserves in Saskatoon part-time starting out as a vehicle tech at 16 Svc Bn and moving over to 737 Comm Sqn while she studied at the Southern Institute of Applied Science and Technology. She graduated in 1985 from their Bioscience program with a specialty in Animal Health(Veterinary technology). She then moved to Alberta to attend Olds College and graduated in 1986 from the Farrier Science Program. After working in both Saskatchewan and Alberta in the equestrian community she transferred to 746 Comm Sqn in Calgary and worked as a veterinary technologist and equine groom caring for a horse of a member of the Korean Olympic Equestrian team during their workup training for the Seoul Olympics.
In 1990 she served in Germany in Canadian Forces Europe in the 4 Air Defence Regiment, then from 1992-1996 She worked in Halifax for the Princess Louise Fusiliers (PLF) in the training company where she re-mustered to the Supply Trade. In 1996 -2002 she moved to Toronto and worked for the Queens Own Rifles of Canada (QOR) where she worked in the training company and became a rappel master. She assisted in teaching rappel training in Ontario and became the base rappel instructor at 12 Wing Borden while working for CFSEME HQ 2000-2002. In 2002 she enrolled in the regular force as a supply tech and was posted to CFJSR in Kingston ON. In 2005 she became a member of JTF2 and deployed to Afghanistan. She re-mustered to the Geo Tech trade in 2007 and completed her training at Algonquin college graduating in 2009. She remained in Ottawa for 3 years working as a Geo Tech. 2012 she was posted to SJS, & CJOC in Ottawa and then to 12 ASIC in Petawawa. While in Petawawa she participated with 12 ASIC in multiple joint support training and excercsises in the US and Canada as a Geo Tech 2014-2017. In 2017 she was posted back to Ottawa to MCE (Mapping and Charting Establishment)and participated as a Geo Tech instructor at Algonquin College as well as several sections within MCE. She was promoted to the rank of Sgt in 2019.
For her time in Europe she was awarded the SSM with the NATO bar. During her time in CFSEME she was awarded the Commandants Commendation for her work in assisting in the organisation CFSEME’s annual sporting events.
Rebecca was very active in the sport parachute community where she became a civilian parachute instructor in Nova Scotia in 1994. She also obtained the military high altitude oxygen qualification in 1995 and completed the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association (CSPA) Instructor B Qualification in 2001 and a Coaching Canada rating in parachuting. She then established the first approved military sport parachute club on the airfield in 2001¬ at 12 Wing Borden. She also completed training as a parachute Tandem Master in Tampa Florida in 2001 in support of the Borden sport parachute club. Rebecca also assisted a number of Search and rescue technicians from 8 Wing Trenton in their parachute qualification transition from static line to free fall with free fall instruction and administration of CSPA parachute licensing exams. One of the highlights of her parachuting career was an informal parachute free fall jump with Gen Wayne Downing US CINCSOC, his staff and members of US SOCOMM in Zephyr Hills Florida in 1999
Rebecca has been attending Yorkville University where she will complete an undergraduate degree in Business in 2025. She will be splitting her time between her farms in Ottawa and Saskatchewan.