T - Department of Defence

eventsS A S O L D I E RISIVUNGUVUNGU Programme of sailingand music training and their assistancein the feeding scheme for the lessprivileged in "Uncle Mags" crèche.During an exclusive interview with SASoldier shortly after his speech he mentionedthat he was indeed proud of theSA Navy's 89th birthday as this indicatedthat the SA Navy had come of age.He mentioned that he was particularlyhappy with the successes of the SANavy: "The success that the SA NavyThe new recruits of the SA Navy Military SkillsDevelopment System (MSDS) intake displayedtheir skills in the Gun Run.The then Executive Mayor of the Cape TownMetropolitan, Mr Dan Plato, and the Chief of theSA Navy, V Adm Johannes Mudimu, observethe parade during the Right of Entry Parade inSimon's Town, which marked the official openingof the 2011 SA Navy Festival.has enjoyed thus far can be attributed tothe dedication of the sailors, and indeedthe successes were a true reflection ofthe SA Navy's undeniable combat-readiness".Of note during the 2011 SA NavyFestival was the unveiling of the SSMendi Memorial Plaque at JubileeSquare by the Flag Officer Fleet, R AdmPhilip Schoultz. The inclusion of theBikers Association added a specialtouch: "The SANDF Bikers Associationwas founded by the SA Navy, and ismainly comprised of SANDF membersand their families. This associationassists every year in reaching out to lessprivileged children by collecting toysand distributingthem", said RAdm (JG) KoosLouw, FlagOfficerCommandingNaval BaseSimon's Town.Other activitiesduring the 2011SA Navy Festivalincluded the Sea Cadet Precision Drill,the Gun Run in which the new SANavy Military Skills DevelopmentSystem (MSDS) intake displayed theirskills in quickly and efficiently disassemblingthe canon in order to crossobstacles and reassemble it with ease.Another activity was the FiremanCompetition in which the SA Navy FireBrigade displayed their fire extinguishingcapabilities. The Lynx (helicopter)air-sea search and rescue display andthe dry dock flooding demonstrationwas particularly interesting; the dockwas deliberately flooded with sea waterto demonstrate what would happenwhen the ship was repaired on dryland. Another item on the programmewas a dog show, followed by theMaritime Reaction Squadron displayingits ability to keep pirates at bay.The public were treated to boat ridesand given the opportunity to board thesubmarine and other SA Navy shipsand frigates. The SA Navy Festival ofcourse would not have been completewithout local business people coming todisplay their products, ranging fromfood, toys and tattooing to new cars.Those who love speed and enhancedcar audio were treated to the display ofcars that had engines specially modifiedto increase their speed beyond the manufacturers'specifications. Decorativeaccessory kits and audio enhancementwere on display and for sale too.The 2011 SA Navy Festival ended witha Retreat Ceremony, which was meantto symbolise the retreat of the navalforces after they had been given theright to march in town. Capetonians,especially the Simon's Town community,are already looking forward to nextyear's fun-filled event, which hasbecome an integral part of the cultureof Simon's Town.J U N E 2 0 1 1 • s33