Vincent Nixon – A man worth a thousand words
Mr Nixon's passion for history was reignited while attending the re-enactment of the Battle of Talana by the Dundee Diehards. He finally joined them five years ago, has been their team leader for the past one-and-a-half years
Vincent Nixon is your man if you want to learn more about history.
Mr Nixon’s passion for history was reignited while attending the re-enactment of the Battle of Talana by the Dundee Diehards. He finally joined them five years ago, has been their team leader for the past one-and-a-half years, and is responsible for all fund-raising.
“The purpose of the Diehards is to educate and remind the public about our culture, heritage and battles we had to endure in order to protect our country,” Mr Nixon said.
He explained history played an important role in our lives, and being part of the Diehards taught respect, discipline and pride.
Looking back in time, Mr Nixon claimed he would love to have met Jan Smuts, who was South Africa’s prime minister from 1919 until 1924 and again from 1939 until 1948.
“I feel Jan Smuts had taken the risk of helping us in the Anglo Boer War and that he was a man of great vision. He was also instrumental in the formation of the British Royal Air Force, and the English Government actually said that if anything had happened to Winston Churchill, they would have asked Smuts to step in.”
“Newcastle had started as a post halt with only one main street and a few dirt roads. From there they started building more roads and more buildings until it finally formed the town of Newcastle.”
In addition to his involvement with the Diehards and his passion for history, Mr Nixon has an interesting collection of flags which is now on display at the Fort Amiel Museum.
“Ever since I was a young boy in the Boy Scouts I’ve had an interest in flags and the meaning behind them. A flag represents a country’s history, unity and pride.”
Mr Nixon served in the SA Navy in 1967 and was in the merchant navy where he was ranked a first class warrant officer for 12 years. His time spent in the navy fuelled his passion for flags.
He now does fund-raising as a member of MOTH for elderly soldiers by selling red poppies in remembrance of those brave soldiers who gave their lives to protect and serve their countries.
