Based on his presentation, our newest member, Carlo Vimercati, has had a lifetime of very interesting trials and tribulations.

Giancarlo Vimercati, better known as Carlo, was born in Northern Italy on May 3, 1951. He had a number of health issues during the early years. The doctors diagnosed him as a "blue" baby and didn't expect him to live. Fortunately, he survived this first challenge.

At the age of 6, he was diagnosed with polio. This meant a stay of 2 months in a Milan hospital where he was injected with a new experimental drug, every day for 40 days. In the end, the medical people decided that it wasn't polio. But more bad news was to follow. They decided that he had Hepatitis B. It took another 20 years before he discovered that this was also a false alarm.

During his early years, Carlo's grandparents looked after him while his mother and father worked at a nearby factory. He spent the first 4 years of his school life in a Salesian College. Then, in 1963 at the age of 12, he and his family migrated to South Africa. His parents bought a restaurant and Carlo went to a local high school. He obtained a Diesel Mechanic certificate which led to a part-time university course in Mechanical Engineering. At the same time, he commenced his working life which took him to many parts of Southern Africa. By 1972, he had been appointed as Workshop Manager, a job that would not normally be given to a man of his young years. The highlight of his short career to this time, was working on a major project known as the "Orange-Fish Tunnel".

In 1973, his life turned ninety degrees. The Middle East War broke out. Many of his friends were Jewish and they left to join the Israeli army. Carlo was asked to join them, not to fight but to help by using his diesel mechanic experience. However, by the time he reached Israel, the war was virtually over although it was the start of things to come for a career in the defence forces. 

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