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Scottburgh says goodbye to Warrant Officer Montile

A big thank you goes out to Dave Montile for his dedication and service to the Scottburgh community over the years and he is wished a happy and fulfilling retirement.

A familiar face to many, Warrant Officer Dave Montile of Scottburgh has officially entered retirement.

In 1972 Dave’s parents moved to Ellingham on the South Coast when he was 13 years old. At the age of 18, he joined the army much like every other boy from the neighbourhood, but he always did have an interest in that field.

Between 1979 and 1984, Dave worked on a farm and for a shipping company in Durban. During his spare time he played cricket for the police, so when a friend suggested he join the police he decided to give it a go.

In 1986 he attended the police college for six months and graduated whereafter he was based at the Sawoti Saps. Dave later transferred to a police station in Montclair, Durban where he wed and settled down with the love of his life.

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Unfortunately, in 1988, a good friend of his was killed in the line of duty, and this prompted him to make the decision to leave the police force.

Dave moved back down to the South Coast but the calling of the police was in his blood and in 1990 he rejoined the police and was stationed at Scottburgh Saps.

From 1990-1996, he was in the detective branch, and thereafter worked shifts until 2015. After that, he was stationed at the Scottburgh Magistrate’s Court which is where he worked for the last couple of years until his retirement on February 28.

“Every day was a challenge,” said Dave, “You meet so many different people on a daily basis who have different stories to tell.”

Some of Dave’s favourite memories were of his time in the detective branch and how he enjoyed kicking back and relaxing with some of his colleagues after a hard day’s work – which included the obligatory braai of course.

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The highlight of his time in the force were the various courses he was sent on. “Even though we were being educated on certain work aspects at these courses, it was still fun and my colleagues and I made the most of it,” he added.

Dave said his time in the police force could best be described as a rollercoaster ride, with ups and downs but overall his journey has been incredible especially with his postings at the Scottburgh police station and magistrate’s court.

“I’ve met a lot of good people along the way and yes they are the occasional bad ones too but that’s life,” he said.

“I am going to miss all the people I’ve worked with over the years and it’s the little things that I’ve shared and experienced with these people that I will always treasure.”

Now that Dave is retired, which he says still hasn’t sunk in as yet, he plans to spend a lot of his time travelling to see his family who is spread out across the world.

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He is the vice president of the Scottburgh Bowling Club so that is apt to keep him busy. In his spare time, he does work around the house, builds wooden boxes which he sells at the orchid club once a month and enjoys reading – a lot.

A big thank you goes out to Dave Montile for his dedication and service to the Scottburgh community over the years and he is wished a happy and fulfilling retirement.

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