Ballynahinch man receives OBE

Ballynahinch man receives OBE

16 January 2013

A BALLYNAHINCH man has travelled to Buckingham Palace to receive the OBE for his work with the Army Cadet Force.

Paul Shepherd has been Cadet Commandant of the 1st Northern Ireland Battalion Army Cadet Force since 2007, and his award, one of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee honours, recognises his ‘outstanding leadership, which has helped the ACF to flourish in Northern Ireland in unique and challenging circumstances’.

Paul is a member of the academic staff at the University of Ulster and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and is currently the Teaching and Learning Co-ordinator for the School of Health Sciences and the programme director for the BSc (Hons) Radiotherapy and Oncology programme. 

“I am very privileged to be the Cadet Commandant of the 1st (NI) Bn ACF and am eternally grateful for the opportunity to serve to lead. I felt particularly valued, as we celebrated Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, to be appointed an Ordinary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and it was fantastic recently to travel to Buckingham Palace with my family to receive the award which I dedicate to everyone who volunteers to serve. 

“For me, it has been a privilege to serve in the Territorial Army and Army Cadet Force during the past 30 years and I am delighted to have the opportunity publicly to thank my wife and family for their continued support over the years.”