A nostalgic look at fifty years of The Cheetah, the regimental
association magazine for the Rhodesian Light Infantry
The Cheetah is the regimental association magazine for the Rhodesian
Light Infantry (RLI). It was last published in hard-copy format in 1980 at the
disbandment of the RLI following the cessation of the bush war in the embryonic
republic of
Zimbabwe. Prior to this,
the magazine, renowned for its witty and informed content, was a much
sought-after and eagerly-awaited publication for civilians and servicemen alike,
being sold commercially through the Southern African book trade. Today, original
copies change hands for ridiculously high prices, being regarded as
collectables.
With the revival of the RLI Regimental Association (RLIRA) in 2007,
the magazine has been published on a quarterly basis since then, in electronic
format. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the RLI on 1st
February 1961, and thirty years after the disbandment of the regiment, the
RLIRA have decided to bring out this hard-copy commemorative glossy edition that
takes a nostalgic journey back in time, as well as highlighting the
association’s efforts of today in keeping the regimental esprit de corps
alive.
About the Editor Chris Cocks was born in Salisbury, Rhodesia, in 1957 and served three
years as a combat NCO with 3 Commando, the Rhodesian Light Infantry from 1976 to
1979. He spent the last 14 months of the bush war as a PATU (Police
Anti-Terrorist Unit) stick leader and avoiding the Military Police. He moved to
Johannesburg in
1996 and started his publishing career, specialising in southern African
military history.
