Veteran Gary Porter
SAMVOE Zone Vice Chairperson
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South African Corps of Engineers - 1985 to 1992. Joined SAMVOINT September 2018. Located in the United Kingdom.
The Zone Vice-Chairperson may be any member of the SAMVO Entity, whom the Zone Chairperson may choose as a candidate or candidates, based on whomever the Zone Chairperson deems as being the best candidate/s to support his/her chairpersonship; to be appointed by a majority of votes and/or endorsement by the Zone Executive.
The Zone Vice-Chairperson must be prepared to step in at any time to ensure the ongoing and smooth running of the SAMVO Entity, should the situation arise.
His/her primary focus will be on retaining and increasing membership.
Wanting to leave school as soon as I physically could, I volunteered for Military Service as soon as I was old enough.
Sometime in 1984 whilst at school, I received a letter from the SADF asking me if I wanted to stay on or go to the Army, I chose the army, and in the January of 1985, I got on a train, as did many thousands of kids, I had only turned 17 in the November before.
I was based at Marievale, next door to Springs just outside Dunotter AirForce base. The camp was the base for 1 Construction Regiment, South African Engineers.
I was in Alpha Squad, which was the only Squad out of Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta, that was issued with rifles, if I remember rightly Bravo and Charlie were Baaksteen Bataljon, they were given wheelbarrows and shovels and drove 9-wheel rollers and the like, we were given rifles, and drove Buffels and Samils and the like.
So, after basics which was of course very difficult and felt like it went on forever, a whole year in a tent, amongst the “stoff” and the stones! we had stones for a carpet, which was obviously not nice to lie on because our beds were made up for inspection most of the time.
I was in Transport, I don’t remember how long I was there, because I applied for a transfer to COMOPS, which fell under the RP’s at the time. I had originally wanted to do border duty, but our Squad were told to stand down, so I joined the RP’s to get out the camp. They were based off camp but a short while later, they changed their minds and the Squad went to the border, but they wouldn’t let me transfer back. So, I spent the rest of my second year off base.
After I “klaared uit” in the Dec 86, I only did 2 camps. One was in 1992 for 60 days, I was deployed for Riot Control outside Pretoria North at Mapopane, which also included sweeping for mines. I remember that clearly, because there was a bomb blast in Pretoria, and we supported the Police outside Mapopane when they blocked the roads.
After that camp, I did another in Bronkhurstspruit, we were based in an old school. Also 60 days,
that was in 1992 and very uneventful militarily.
After that the situation changed and my military career came to a halt.
