The annual parade honours soldiers who have fallen in various conflicts over the years where South African soldiers were involved. It is an event where a wreath is laid at the Pilgrim’s Rest War Memorial, erected in commemoration of the men from Pilgrim’s Rest and surrounds who died in the First and Second World Wars.
“The Pinnacle Parade is named after the Pinnacle Shellhole that used to be housed in Pilgrim’s Rest,” says Lemuel Vermaak, chairperson of the MOTH Motorcycle Association (MMA) Mpumalanga Chapter. “The first Pinnacle Parade was held in 2021, and this is one of two parades hosted by the MMA.”
The Memorable Order of Tin Hats, abbreviated to MOTH, was established in 1927 as a brotherhood of South African former front-line soldiers, to remember all servicemen who have answered the Sunset Call, both in war and in peace time.
The MOTH Motorcycle Association was established in 2009, and the Mpumalanga Chapter was established in 2021.
The Jock Shellhole in Sabie, the smallest Shellhole in the Lowveld, hosted the participants of the parade afterwards. Vermaak is also the Jock Shellhole in Sabie’s Old Bill, the title of the chairperson.
The Jock Shellhole was first established in 1946 with an initial membership of 35 and was chartered in 1949. The Shellhole is named after the well-known Jock of the Bushveld, the legendary dog of Sir Percy FitzPatrick.
There are four Shellholes in the Lowveld District Dugout: Legogotu in Nelspruit, Lone Tree in Barberton, Mpumalanga in White River, and Jock in Sabie.
Click here for more information on the MOTHs.
