GBOBA Bursary Fund
The legend lives on at Lawhill Maritime Centre
“… that great care be taken in all other respects in the selection of boys in order that the ship shall earn a good name among the seafaring men of the world and a high reputation be attached to a Botha Boy wherever he may present himself.”
The above quote is an extract of an early meeting, 1921, of the board of control formed to govern South Africa’s first, and only, training ship. The South African Training Ship General Botha, fondly known as the Bothie, which was established in 1922 and over the intervening years trained some 3,000 young people, both male and female, deck and engineer, for careers at sea and related marine industries. Sadly, the training ship as we knew her no longer exists but maritime training continues in South Africa in institutions that followed.
In 2011 a number of the Bothie’s ex cadets celebrating their 60, 50, 40 & 30 year reunions visited the Lawhill Maritime Centre of Simon’s Town School. There these past and present mariners saw many similarities to the training they received on the Bothie and this inspired them to launch a bursary fund to assist in the training of young South Africans for a maritime career.
“The principal objective of the Fund is to assist students financially who wish to enter, or who already attend, an approved educational establishment to study towards a maritime career.”
After the initial investment of our ex-cadets the Fund has gone from strength to strength with the participation of the broader maritime community.
The selection of bursars is carefully managed including individual interviews conducted by captains of the industry. Applicants are selected from around the country and their financial situation as well as their suitability for maritime studies, both intellectually and personally, is evaluated.
Besides our number of past scholars and students the Fund presently supports 12 scholars varying from grade 10 to 12 studying at Lawhill Maritime Centre of Simon’s Town School and 6 in tertiary studies at the Cape Peninsular University of Technology (CPUT) and Durban University of Technology (DUT). Some past tertiary students have graduated with distinctions enabling them to finally embark on their rewarding maritime careers.
In our quest to nurture sea fever, we also run an extensive, and successful, Sail & Motor Training Programme, the objective for the youngsters to qualify for their Day Skippers Certificate in sail or Category E in motor, or both. This has proved to be very successful with up to 50 scholars participating.
During their time on the Fund’s programme, scholars and students participate in a well organised Mentoring and Outreach program, which includes extra tuition, programmed visits to Maritime Industry stakeholders, vessels etc. and attendance at relative events as Fund Ambassadors.