What’s the point of Divvies? – Georgia Folkard-Smith
Have you ever tried describing Divisions to someone who has never been part of the RHS Bubble and found yourself struggling to not make it seem utterly pointless and a bit ridiculous?
There’s a lot that many of us might not enjoy about divvies (or divis, whatever you prefer) and of course no one really likes having a good chunk of their Sunday taken up by what some people see as a pointless tradition. However, after nearly seven years of marching around the parade square in well over a hundred rehearsals and official parades, I’ve come to recognise some of the skills you gain from this ‘annoying waste of time’ which you don’t even realise you’re picking up.
- Polishing and Ironing
The dreaded shining of shoes and ironing of uniform is a traditionally despised aspect of Divisions. Although essential, having to spend hours on end just trying to break the seal of your shoes and ironing out creases which the Head of Ceremonial insists are there can be tiring. But what’s the point? In simple terms, it’s so you look smart and presentable. Ironing your clothes and polishing your shoes, although you might not realise it now, are two very simple ways of making an immediately good impression on other people. We will not have parents or matrons or incredible laundry ladies to do it for us in the future when we leave RHS. Divisions is a way of making sure that this skill is drilled into us without us even recognising the benefit it will provide us with for interviews or dates or other special occasions where looking presentable is most definitely in our best interests.
- Marching in a squad
The start of the year always brings about frustrations within a Divisions squad. A lot of the time who are new simply cannot get their head around what is essentially exaggerated walking (trust me when I say we have all been there) and those to whom marching is now second nature often struggle to be understanding when it means they have to spend extra time on the paradie to teach the newbies (just remember when you tick-tocked too!). Nevertheless, as the practices progress, it becomes essential for the whole squad to work together in order to pull off the perfect March Past, just as it takes the whole school to pull of a perfect Parade. This collective team spirit will permeate every other aspect of your life where teamwork is a critical component- the ability to put aside your possible issues with one another so that the team performs well will be essential to your future cooperations, no matter where you end up.
- Taking orders
“Stand up straight, hands out of your pockets, no talking, no moving, stop playing with your hair!” While I know that being yelled at by a scary military man (who everyone seems to be strangely fond of nevertheless) is probably not what any of us expected to face during our senior school years, it does provide yet another invaluable skill. While it is good to question and inquire about anything and everything, sometimes in life you will need to learn how to take orders without complaint or refusal. It may seem too passive for your liking but what must be understood is that listening to what someone has to say and respecting those who know what they are talking about is often an incredibly important life skill which unfortunately not everyone learns.
- The standing
Standing without talking or fidgeting for a good 20 minutes out of the 30 minutes which a typical Divisions Parade goes on for is not always easy for 750 teenagers. The fact that we can all do that, and often without complaint, is pretty impressive and also provides us with the slowly dwindling skill of patience. In a world where we expect to get what we want at the click of a button, being able to endure a relatively long time standing stock still and at attention (through all kinds of weather) is incredibly difficult. You will be able to take the patience and resilience you’ve learnt in Divisions into your future life and it will benefit you greatly.
- The tradition
Going back to the basic reason for why we carry out these Parades: it’s a huge tradition. Divisions has always been a part of the school’s naval heritage and what makes that so important is that by recognising the tradition, we recognise the thousands of students who have marched on that parade square before us. Whether we like it or not, the ability to respect a place’s heritage and traditions will then transfer to respecting that of other people, something that is essential in today’s world. Personally, it also makes me feel as if I’m part of some larger history which connects all the students who have belonged to RHS at some point or another. We all belong to that history now. We are part of that tradition.
Like a lot of situations you will face as you grow older, Divisions may appear to be another dreary task which you’re being forced into, but, really, it is instilling values and skills in all of us which we will be able to draw upon later in life, much to our own benefit.
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