Moth Bruce Michler being installed as Old Bill of the Order 2011-2012 at the Moth GHQ AGM on the 20th of November 2011.
MOTH CITATION
Bruce Stanley Michler was born in Volksrust on 26 July 1944, and matriculated at the Belfast High School in 1962.
Bruce spent most of his working career with Barclays Bank, which later changed its name to First National Bank. He joined the bank in 1963 and retired as a Manager at the end of March 2000.
Bruce married Norma on 01 May 1971 and they have been blessed with three children - Andrew, Bronwyn, and Mark.
Regrettably Norma passed to higher service earlier this year.
Bruce commenced his National Service in Bloemfontein in July 1963. In April 1964, Bruce was posted to the Pretoria Regiment were he served in various posts including that of the units Second in Command.
During August 1978 and until 1984 Bruce was with the 81 Armoured Brigade and early in 1986 he was asked to join the 8 Armoured Division and served on the SWA Border.
In August 1990 following discussion with an ex Regimental colleague Bruce was talked into joining the MOTH as a member of Gorgeous Wrecks Shellhole.
Within a year, he found himself installed as the very green Pay Bill of the Pretoria District Dugout. He filled this position for three years and was then approached to take up office as the Transvaal Provincial Pay Bill, a post which he filled admirably! During this time, he instituted training for Pay Bills and was also concerned with improving the standard of control and reporting of finances within the Order.
In September 1996, following a three-year stint as the Provincial Pay Bill, Bruce took over as the Deputy Provincial Old Bill. Province was unfortunately denied the honour of having Bruce as the Provincial Old Bill, because in August 1997 he was "snatched” to serve on the National Executive!
As a member of the National Executive, he was soon co-opted onto the MOTH Cottages Management Committee and in June 2000, he was appointed as the Chairman of MCMC including MESCA. In 2005 it was decided to amalgamate MCMC with the MOTHWA equivalent and the Property Management Committee was born. Bruce was appointed as Chairman of the PMC which included MESCA.
Bruce has always kept in touch with Mothing at grassroots level and in 2003 was elected to the post of Old Bill of the Gorgeous Wrecks Shellhole and served as Treasurer of the Pretoria Branch of the MESCA Sound Memory Cottages. He currently holds the position of Chairman of the Joint Management Board for the Pretoria Branch of the MESCA Sound Memory Cottages and the Pretoria MOTHWA Haven.
Bruce has also been appointed as the Auditor/Competent Person for the Platinum Provincial Dugout since 2000.
Being a Moth is not Bruce's only interest and he has served on committees in various organisations, the most notable being:
The Pretoria Regiment Association
The First Rivertrail Scout Group
The Bryanston Methodist Church Council
The Brooklyn Methodist Church Council
The South African Armour Association
The following MOTH Awards have been given to Bruce:
Certificate of Comradeship in July 1999 by his Shellhole and the
Certificate of Merit in March 2000
It is now the National Executives privilege and pleasure to appoint Bruce as the Old Bill of the MOTH for the 2011/12 year in recognition of his outstanding work for the Order. |
