South African Military Veterans Organisation Globally
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The organisation has global presence in the following areas
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SAMVOA - Australia, New Zealand, Asia
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SAMVOZA - Europe, Middle East, Africa
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SAMVOE - Europe, Ireland, UK
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SAMVOTA - Americas, Canada, USA
EXCLUDED
SAMVO has no affiliation to any political or religious organisation and is a non-sexist organisation. Furthermore, these subjects will never be raised or discussed.
SAMVO is a single rank organisation with “Veteran” being the only rank. The organisation’s strength will come from veteran membership and comradeship at Club level, and the organisation will take its lead and direction from this membership level. All Veterans will belong to a Club, irrespective of the office they hold, and any Veteran will be able to aspire to serve in any office of the organisation, based on his or her dedication and capability.
SAMVO has no joining or ongoing fees as we believe that our Members have more than paid their dues by virtue of their service.
SAMVO VETERANS PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS:
Lest We Forget:
SAMVO Veterans, via its global Zones, will endeavor to participate nationally in recognised Memorial Services and Ceremonies, that are particular to the culture, demographics and political acceptance to the Zone represented and in which they reside, notably:
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SS Mendi Memorial Service – United Kingdom – Portsmouth / Southampton – 21st February each year.
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SS Mendi Memorial Service – South Africa - Cape Town and Pretoria around the 21st February each year.
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ANZAC Day – Australia and New Zealand and High Commissions - 25th April each year.
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SADF Wall of Remembrance in Pretoria – Closest Sunday to end of May each year.
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Memorial Day – USA - Closest Sunday to end of May each year.
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Anglo-Boer War Memorial Service – Globally – 31st May marks the anniversary of the end of the Boer War.
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Delville Wood Memorial Service – France – 14th July each year and in South Africa, in major centers on the closest Sunday to 14th July.
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Boshoed Dag – Globally - 26th August each year.
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Remembrance Sunday Memorial Service – Globally - Closest Sunday to 11th November each year. In the USA, this is Veterans Day.
SAMVO is an ex-servicemen organisation comprised of Military and Police Veterans who were called up or volunteered to serve their country, South Africa, in the SADF / SANDF, SAP / SAPS, or the South African Prison Services.
SAMVO Organisation Chart
SAMVO Executive Team
Veteran Tony Macquet MMM
SAMVO Chairman
Veteran Karl Brown JCD
SAMVO Master-at-Arms
Veteran Colin Bowring MMM
SAMVOZA Zone Chairman – Time Zone 2A – South Africa, Rest of Africa, and peripheral countries.
Veteran Belinda Van Fleet
SAMVOTA Zone Chairman – Time Zone 3 – United States of America, Canada, Mexico, South America and peripheral countries.
Mr Yongama Zigebe
SAMVO Welfare and South African Parliamentary Representative
Veteran Gary Porter
SAMVO Director Management Services
Veteran Jonathan Jooste
SAMVO Director Digital Media and Transformation Strategist
SAMVO Director Medals and Awards
Position Vacant
Veteran Garth Pienaar
SAMVO Historical and Museum Curator
SAMVO Reputation Management Strategist
Position filled
Veteran Godfrey Giles MMM JCD
SAMVO Vice-Chairman
Veteran Geoff Mitchell
SAMVOA Zone Chairman – Time Zone 1 - Australia, New Zealand, Asia and peripheral countries.
Veteran Roy Henderson NC & Bar, MMM
SAMVOE Zone Chairman – Time Zone 2B – Great Britain, Europe, Ireland and peripheral countries.
Veteran Roland de Vries SD SM MMM
SAMVO Ambassador at Large.
Veteran Dr. Christoff Le Roux
SAMVO Director Peer Support
Veteran Adriaan Botha
SAMVO Director Digital Asset Owner
Mrs. Tamryn White
SAMVO Website Master
Veteran Belinda Van Fleet
SAMVO Director Communication Operations
SAMVO Director Merchandising and Logistics
Position Vacant
Executive Announcements
Name change to SAMVO
To all our members, friends and families, SAMVO wishes you the compliments of the season and may 2022 be a great year for you all. I take this opportunity to bring to your attention two exciting changes from a Communications perspective.
The need for structural name changes:
Due to global developments and a few other challenges, it has become necessary to restructure our global naming protocols in order to simplify them for easier identification. The overarching entity SAMVOINT will now become known as SAMVO (South African Military Veterans Organisation), which is what we are, an international organisation comprised of over 2,300 members in 32 countries.
There is no name clash within the other 25 CMVO member organisations that represent Veterans of the statutory forces of South Africa.
This means that three of the names we have been using are changing:
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SAMVOINT becomes SAMVO (South African Military Veterans Organisation).
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SAMVOEU becomes SAMVOE (South African Military Veterans Organisation of Europe) - (Time Zone 2B)
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SAMVOUSA becomes SAMVOTA (South African Military Veterans Organisation of The Americas) - (Time Zone 3)
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Two time Zones remain unaffected by this change and remain SAMVOA (Time Zone 1) and SAMVOZA (Time Zone 2A)
Our improved Website:
By 1st February, 2022, we will have a new and fresh website. Our dedicated Team has been working towards improving our website and I thank them, most sincerely, for the exceptional work they have put in. The base of our website has changed to a Wix platform, which vastly improves our flexibility on how and what we present. A key benefit will be that we now have the capability to facilitate the information feed right down to Club level. In fact, our preference is “Club Up” feed.
This will require the input from a designated Communication Officers at Club level, through Regional to National, who will have the ability to edit and populate their own sections with any news, activities, functions, or other newsworthy content taking place in their Club or Region. We have at our disposal a new Webmaster, who is able to assist our Communication Officers. Even I have learnt to work with this platform, so please don't panic. The key benefit is a great communications tool in your hands!
New members on the SAMVO Executive:
I am very pleased to be able to announce the appointment of two new executives who join the SAMVO Executive Team, being:
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SAMVO Vice Chairman – Veteran Godfrey Giles MMM. Godfrey will have a dual role as Vice Chairman of SAMVOZA.
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SAMVO Webmaster – Mrs. Tamryn White.
This strengthens the SAMVO Team and brings much energy and knowledge to the organisation. I would like to thank both for accepting their portfolios and we wish them every success. I would also like to thank Veteran Karl Brown JCD – SAMVO Master-at-Arms, who has, in terms of our Constitution, acted as Vice Chairman, whilst this position had remained vacant.
Membership.
We continue to grow and we are very pleased to have welcomed 290 new members who joined SAMVO during 2021. Let us hope that this tempo continues in 2022, as more Veterans find a home in our exceptional organisation.
Please note that SAMVO is run entirely by volunteers, who give of their time in service to our Veterans. Although I am resident in Melbourne, Australia, please feel free to catch up with me at any time.
On behalf of the SAMVO Executive, I wish you good health and happiness for 2022.
Veteran Tony Macquet MMM
SAMVO Chairman