FUTURE FIT How Lawhill Centre in Simon’s Town is nurturing the maritime specialists of the future

NSRI trainers Herby Meth and Enrico Menezies, and Captain Tony Nicholas of GBOBA BF with Lawhill Maritime Centre students at Station 26 (Kommetjie).

FUTURE FIT

For the past few years Sea Rescue has been involved in the practical training of students from Lawhill Maritime Centre. Michaela Nagel shares more about the programme.

THE HALLWAYS AND CLASSROOMS at Lawhill Maritime Centre (LMC) are filled with aspiring ship’s captains and engineers and maritime innovators. Lawhill, based at Simon’s Town School in Cape Town, provides focused maritime education and skills to students aged 15 to 18 (Grades 10 to 12). The aim of the programme is to prepare students for tertiary education as well as careers in the maritime industry. The centre is not dependent on government funding and students are supported with bursaries from the SATS General Botha Old Boys Association Bursary Fund (GBOBA BF).

JOINING HANDS TO TRAIN AND MENTOR YOUNG ADULTS For the past two years, the NSRI has been working together with the bursary fund students, hosting them at rescue bases and offering a practical training programme that is sponsored by the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI). In addition, NSRI and GBOBA have used their collective knowledge and material to encourage the mentoring of the youth of South Africa, and especially those interested in maritime careers. Chairman of GBOBA and NSRI honorary life governor Captain Keith Burchell explains: ‘This is of strategic significance as it enables us to meet our goal of providing an extramural mentoring and educational and training programme, which supports that of our bursary students’ studies at the Lawhill Maritime Centre, and in turn is in line with preparing them for tertiary education and satisfies the requirements of SAIMI’s cadet programme.’

Every year, 10 Lawhill students are given the opportunity to attend a camp hosted by Sea Rescue to complete a course based on our online Bravo Bravo training.

In 2019, 10 LMC and cadet students attended the annual NSRI

introductory camp at Station 26 (Kommetjie). Two students completed the course for a second time in order to prepare for the advanced NSRI camp happening early in 2020. Although these students are still young, their aspirations know no limits. Nerisa Suckram, 16, fell in love with the maritime industry when she moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Her dream is to become a master on a tanker vessel. Gambela Ningwe, who is in Grade 10, wants to focus on maritime innovation one day. The four-day camp, presented by trainers Enrico Menezies and Herby Meth, consisted of an induction, a general safety course and pre-sea training, which includes water tread, survival techniques and a shortdistance swim.

‘We need to future-proof the NSRI and in the context of diversity of crew, this will be a long-term

Right: Lawhill students receiving instruction from a Kommetjie crew member. Below: Getting ready to practise ‘the huddle’ with Herby Meth. investment in the youth. If we stimulate growth in the maritime sector, it will hopefully fuel an interest in the NSRI. The pool of people whom we will help educate over a period of time will become operational and infuse the organisation with a diverse range of young South Africans with passion and

commitment, says NSRI CEO, Dr Cleeve Robertson. ‘There is no skills training platform for the youth in this sector other than a bunch of smaller external organisations that are providing some access to the maritime industry but, on a national footprint, access to skills and development is limited.’

OWAMI ZUMA’S LETTER OF THANKS TO CAPTAIN KEITH BURCHELL I write this letter to thank you for sponsoring the students. Thank you for investing your money in us for the past two years. Yours is an amazing bursary fund. Being at Lawhill is a privilege, and you have made that possible for me.

We have been lucky to attend camps and do a lot of educational activities. It means a lot to us and it is grooming us for the real world.

You have taken your time with your students and shown that you care deeply about us and our futures. Thanks for investing in us. Yours faithfully OWAMI ZUMA 20 November 2019