AFVOA Newletters of Year 2013

Page 50 of 61 Vijay Diwas 16 Dec, has become a permanent feature in our calendar. This year too we had congregated in large numbers at the War Memorial Chennai, led by our Patron, who laid a wreath on behalf of the AFVOA. The function enabled the members to interact with the serving officers and men. It was a matter of pride for our veteran Col A Krishnaswami VrC VSM**, to lay a wreath on the war memorial at Dhaka on the same day, during the Victory Day celebrations of the Republic of Bangla Desh for which he was invited to attend as part of the Indian Defence Delegation A Day at Sea As part of the Navy Day celebrations, the Day at Sea demonstrations by the ships of the Eastern Fleet was organized off the coast of Chennai on 27 Oct 2012. AFVOA was allotted 50 passes for our members and their guests. As expected, the passes were utilized in full. It was very generous of the Navy to consider our request for additional passes, even when the demands on them year after year, are increasing. It was a day well spent and the lucky participants enjoyed the experience. Annual Picnic The Annual Picnic of the AFVOA was organized on 20 Jan 2013. This year the hospitality of the Sister Service Air Force was enjoyed with great relish by the participants during the picnic. It was meticulously planned and executed with precision and hence appreciated by all. The AOC Air Cmde PK Bapat and his team of officers went out of the way to look after the Veterans We acknowledged with gratitude by presenting the Station Officer’s Mess with a dagger shaped Silver Book Mark for their Visitors book as a token of our appreciation and regard for the Officers of IAF Station, Avadi. News Letters Our News letters are interesting and enable the members to share their views and experiences. We had published interesting travelogues as follows: (a) Visit to the Australian War Memorial by our President, Maj Gen CT Chari AVSM. This was the first article of the series that paved the way for others to follow. (b) Visit to the Land of the Pharaohs by Maj Gen N Viswanathan. An exhaustive coverage to assist future touring veterans on how to go about it. (c) Visit to Kailash Mansarovar by Col N Viswanathan. His elaborate and interesting coverage on his visit to the icy heights was published in three issues. It was a rare feat of endurance and will power. (d) Golden Jubilee of the Gajraj Corps by Col A. Krishnawami, VrC VSM**. It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane. (e) Visit to Dhaka- A God sent Opportunity by Col A. Krishnawami, VrC VSM**. It was an interesting coverage of the visit. Our New Entrants The following veterans joined the fraternity during the period