Convention of collectors held

It was all things militaria at the 22nd Arms Fair held at Ditsong National Museum of Military History on 6 August.

Organised by the Southern Africa Arms and Ammunition Collectors Association, the convention in Saxonwold saw collectors from all over the country bringing their best collections to share with fellow enthusiasts and to celebrate history.

“It’s a well-known annual event,” said Carvel Webb, the association’s president.

“Private collectors are very sensitive about displaying their collections, so this is an opportunity where they can bring out their firearms and display them in a secure environment.” According to Webb, firearms collectors, like any other, are also driven by the urge to preserve an interest in history and technology.

“Firearms and the development of weapons have always mirrored the development of society,” he said.

“The technology prowess of a society at a point in time is mirrored in the way their weapons were developed and the role that those things play in our history.” He added that collectors, by definition, are normally extremely responsible firearm owners.

“We have a 100 percent track record of no incidents involving collectable firearms or collectors. The fact that they [collectors] understand and appreciate what a firearm is, they genuinely take very good care of it. They are normally very well secured, very well put away, they are not easily accessible.”

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Jakobus van Vuuren, a former South African Defense Force soldier displayed his prized possessions at the fair. Wearing his uniform from his days in the army, the Boksburg father said he has been a collector for 25 years. “The collection stemmed from this uniform, I didn’t want to throw it away so I put it up in my computer room and I was always looking at it,” said the veteran.

“I thought it looked lonely so, whenever I came to a place and could find militaria, I would purchase items and eventually it grew into a room full of stuff. It’s an expensive hobby. The items are getting scarce, that’s why it becomes very expensive.”

Tyron Lesser, a collector and member of the Military Collectors and Reenactment Society Club showed off his collection from the Vietnam War. His collection included Special Forces kits, formal uniforms, medals, radios and ammunition. “The purpose is to see everyone else’s collections,” he said.

“This is to keep military history alive, it’s not about war, it’s about the history and the lessons learnt.”