Friday’s SA Air Force (SAAF) Colour Parade was brought on – literally – by the ravages of age.
Brigadier General Donavan Chetty, Director Corporate Staff Services, told defenceWeb the Mobile Deployment Wing (MDW) parade was necessitated because the current SAAF Colour has been in service since 1994. Frequency of use along with wear and tear as well as adverse weather conditions while on parade added up to time to replace.
The Colour awarded at MDW, previously Air Force Base (AFB) Swartkop, the oldest operational base in the SAAF, was not new. “It was a newly made version of the old Colour,” he said.
The airborne service of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has been the proud possessor of a Colour since 1923. The honour, Chetty said, was accorded to the SAAF because of its illustrious history “throughout both world wars and subsequent battles”.
Officially, the parade is known as the Unveiling of Colours Parade and the SAAF, Chetty said, is to his knowledge the only service that uses its Colour at parades.
The new SAAF Colour joins those of two other bases – Makhado in Limpopo and Langebaanweg in Western Cape – with new Colours. Regular use along with wear and tear and weather are reasons for replacements.
