Former Benonian guards Queen Elizabeth II
It's not every day that you are privileged enough to brush shoulders with the Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth states, let alone guard her.
Former Benoni Small Farms resident Oliver Melville (21) guarded Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, on March 3, during Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto’s visit to the UK.
The Willowmoore High School past pupil is a trooper in the Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.
The 21-year-old enlisted in the British Army as a result of a school speech.
Oliver’s mother, Benoni resident Julie Melville, who was born in England, said her son made a speech in 2011, on the royal wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton.
As he was preparing for the speech, he did research on the cavalry regiment to which he now belongs.
Oliver and his twin brother, Daniel, moved to England after matric and both signed up with the army.
Daniel joined the Royal Engineers, in the hope of becoming a specialist motor vehicle driver, while Oliver fulfilled his dream of joining the Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.
After a year, Daniel was medically discharged with shin splints and returned to South Africa.
Oliver was almost medically discharged after suffering from arrhythmia (heart palpitations) some months after arriving in the UK.
Julie said a captain in the army fought for her son to be kept in the army and Oliver recovered after receiving medical attention.
Oliver has been guarding the queen since November, after he finished his phase two training, for which he received the Best Phase Two Recruit award.
He hopes to become a farrier or horse riding instructor in the British Army.
