29-06-2025
Bowling and potjie fun at Leases Bowling Club
Rand Leases Bowling Club and the South African Military Veterans Infantry Association hosted a fun bowls day on Youth Day to raise funds for the club and the various charities that the military veterans support.
The South African Infantry Association (SAIA) was established in 1985 to provide a home for veterans to share their experiences and enjoy social interaction. The West Rand branch was formed in 2018.
According to SAIA West Rand chairperson Mike Bopp, the association raises funds for military veterans who are scraping by on a SASSA pension.
'Pensions for military veterans, as promised by the government through the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), are non-existent to most Border War veterans,' he says.
'SAIA West Rand obtains donations and these are distributed to retirement homes, orphanages, homes for battered women and children and to the veterans themselves.
'Our mission is to ensure that no veteran ever feels alone or forgotten, and we strive to foster a sense of belonging and unity among those who have served our country.
'The SAIA West Rand branch committee holds several fundraisers throughout the year in pursuit of our goal to pay it forward and to help those in need.'
The bowls day was well attended, and as a bonus, members of SAIA West Rand and Leases Bowling Club made a wide variety of delicious traditional – and not so traditional – potjies, the sale of which added to their fundraising efforts.
There were more than 20 stalls where local small businesses sold a wide variety of goods.
'All in all, it was a good day,' says the bowling club's public relations officer, Ronny van Wyk.
'We hope to have many more in future.'
For more information on the Leases Bowling Club, call Ronnie on 083 459 7851.
To join SAIA, visit and click on Join SAIA and follow the prompts.
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