SAIA West Rand branch inaugurated
He said the core purpose of the Association is to be the most influential veteran organisation that upholds and works towards good, effective and efficient management of the affairs which are noble and righteous for the Association and its members.
The West Rand branch of the South African Infantry Association marked the official opening ceremony and inauguration of its establishment on 30 March at the Uniflor Hotel in Florida.
This branch was established in May 2018 and is now a fully fledged branch of the SA Infantry Association (SAIA).
The SAIA is a military veterans organisation registered with the Department of Defence in terms of regulation 4 of the Regulations of Military Veterans of 2001 and is a member of the Council for Military Veterans Organisations of South Africa (CMVO), according to the chairperson of the organisation, Allan Baudry.
He said the core purpose of the association is to be the most influential veteran organisation, that upholds and work towards good, effective and efficient management of the affairs which are noble and righteous for the association and its members.
Among the association’s objectives, according to Baudry, is to promote pride, honour, dignity and unfailing camaraderie among association members and to identify, record and promote the unique Infantry tradition and culture characteristics of its members.
He reflected on the membership so far and who can be join the association. “Membership has steadily grown, and we hope to recruit more members in the future. Membership is open to any person who served in the Infantry, whether it be Permanent Force, National Service, Citizens Force and Commandos. We also welcome members from other Corps (Navy, Medical Services, Airforce etc.) to join as Friends of the Association. Aside from experiencing comradery and social interaction, members can attend regular memorial parades.”
“Social functions are arranged where family and friends are encouraged to be part of the activities, recently we hosted a potjiekos competition and at which time we also launched projects with the aim to promote our Aassociation,” Baudry explained.
He indicated that monthly gatherings take place on the last Saturday of the month, and are held at the Uniflor Hotel in Florida.
Any interested parties can contact the chairperson, Allan Baudry, on 0847344497, email allanb@discoverymail.co.za or, Jaap Lourens on 0820852496 or email mainsail04@gmail.com
