A mock helicopter attack, a weapons display and a parade in Church Square are some of the public events being organised as part of the 49th birthday celebrations of 6 SA Infantry Battalion (SAI BN) this week.
A mock helicopter attack, a weapons display and a parade in Church Square are some of the public events being organised as part of the 49th birthday celebrations of 6 SA Infantry Battalion (SAI BN) this week.
Members of the public are invited to the unit's open day on Wednesday, at the Grahamstown Military Base's Unit Sports Fields. There, weapons and equipment will be on display from 9am to 6.30pm and the programme will include three helicopter assault demonstrations, at the following times: 10am to 11.30am, 1.30pm to 3pm and 5pm to 6.30pm.
These will incorporate rappelling, fast-roping, hover-exiting, and a mock attack with an extraction. Qualified instructors will demonstrate air assault equipment and weapons.
On Thursday, 6 SAI BN will exercise the right to the Freedom of the City by presenting a parade in front of City Hall in High Street and a march through the streets of Grahamstown. The ceremony will start at 9.15am, with a band trooping in front of the City Hall, followed by the parade at 9.30am.
On Friday, at 8.45am, a wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the unit’s cenotaph, at the Grahamstown Military Base, commemorating members who have died. "The Officer Commanding extends a warm welcome to the community of Grahamstown to support and attend this auspicious occasion," a press release from the unit said.
It explained that the unit had received the Freedom of the City on 31 March, 1967, on their fifth anniversary, from the mayor at the time, GJ Krige. "This action by the civic authorities is greatly appreciated by 6 SAI BN," the press release read, "and this privilege will always be exercised in the spirit of the tradition."
The custom of granting the 'privilege of the city' to a unit, so that its troops may march through the city concerned with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed, has a long history. "Today it symbolises the confidence of the civilian population in the unit and confers on it the right and privilege of bearing arms while marching through the city or town."
Road closures on Thursday 7 April
Hill Street will be closed between 9am and 9.30am during the forming up of the parade. High Street, from Church Square to the crossing at Bathurst Street, will be closed from 6am to 10.30am for the duration of the parade in front of the City Hall. Motorists are asked not to park in this street and the organisers apologise for any inconvenience. High Street, from Church Square to the crossing at Somerset Street, will be closed for a short period during the march through town.
The new face of an old unit 6 SA Infantry Battalion (6SAI) was established in 1962 to train conscripts. The unit detached personnel for operational duty with effect from 1970. Major operations involving 6SAI were Protea and Daisy.
In the 1980s the unit was known as 6 SA Infantry Training Unit. In the current decade, the unit was converted to an air assault unit, soldiers undergoing a selection similar to that for the parachute infantry and receiving specialised training, including abseiling from helicopters and hot extraction. Source: Defenceweb (defenceweb.co.za)
