JUST in time for Assegai Shellhole to celebrate its 70th anniversary on 5 March, the shell-hole once again has bragging rights for the best looking cannon in town.
A huge amount of hard work and preparation has gone into planning for the restoration of the buildings and premises ahead of this special commemorative event in March.
One of the major tasks was to do a total make-over of the cannon on the premises, which was an eyesore. To achieve this, the shell-hole needed assistance with this mammoth task. The support was overwhelming when the local community and industry were approached.
The following organisations offered their services without reservation. Africatuff Ultra High Pressure Water Jetting Company sponsored the blasting/water jetting of the entire cannon down to bare metal. The task was managed by the Operations Manager and ably completed by the team.
The South Africa Navy (Naval Base Durban) under the command of Commander Dieter Jones offered their services as they have close ties with the naval cannon. Naval Base Durban supplied all the material and the work force to undertake the painting of the weapon.
Jose De Paiva, owner of Professional Access Rentals, offered his company’s services and sponsored all the scaffolding required and a cherry picker to reach the end of the barrel over a barbwire security wall. Without his assistance, this task would have been a serious challenge.
With this amazing team in place, the project was started on Monday, 18 January and completed on Friday, 22 January.
It took one and a half days to water jet the entire cannon and just under three full days to prepare, undercoat and top coat the cannon – all in the space of a week.
Old Bill of Assegai Shellhole, Michael Engelbrecht has been totally overwhelmed by how well the project went and was left speechless. His sincere gratitude and appreciation goes out to all parties involved.
“Now guys, get those boots shining and uniforms ready for the big parade on 5 March,” he said.
