Coming from humble beginnings, André Kruger found his grounding at Pretoria Boys High School, which created a firm base for an illustrious military career in extraordinary times. André exercised his leadership skills as Platoon, Company and Unit Commander in the Infantry. He played an important role in the development of mechanised infantry and was involved in the initial semi-conventional operations into Southern Angola, such as Operations Reindeer and Protea, which created a firm base for the major operations in the Border War which followed. After serving at the SA Army College as Chief Instructor at the Army Staff Course, André entered the dark passages of the SA Army Headquarters as a Staff Officer and was ideally positioned to participate in the transformation of the South African Defence Force in the 1990s. He represented the SA Army in the establishment of the new Defence Secretariat in the SANDF and was a team player in the SA Army General Staff that implemented the SA Army transformation programme. After retirement, André entered the weapons industry at Kentron (Denel) as a marketer, travelling the world and engaging with generals of various armies. Thereafter he and his wife relocated to Langebaan on the West Coast, where they engaged successfully in the tourism industry. As soldiers always do, he got involved in community service and completed an eleven-year stint in local government. His love for nature came strongly to the fore in performing duties as a volunteer in the South African National Parks Honorary Rangers and the Saldanha Bay Water Quality Trust. His experiences, with the lessons he learnt as a soldier and along his life journey, created an internal compass pointing him to his True North, creating a stable point of reference for authentic leadership and life direction. This, coupled with the importance of family whilst involved in such a diverse career, prompted André to share these lessons with family, friends, organisations and the communi…