STAFF WRITER
It’s official: Brian Ingpen of Lawhill Maritime Centre is a Maritime Maestro. On Tuesday evening, April 5, Mr Ingpen was given this recognition at the South African Maritime Industry Awards.
“The standard of nominations across all the categories for this year’s awards underscores the level of professionalism, passion and expertise that exists in the South African maritime industry, said Colleen Jacka, editor of Maritime Review Africa, which hosted and organised the awards.
“The judging process was robust ,with 23 judges deliberating across the eight award categories with more than 80 nominations. All the finalists and eventual winners should be congratulated on their achievements and certainly deserve the recognition that they received from their peers,” she said.
A dedicated and passionate maritime historian, author, journalist and, above all, educationalist, Mr Ingpen received a standing ovation when he was announced as the winner of the award, which recognises individuals in the maritime industry who act as ambassadors for it.
Of the more than 40 years Mr Ingpen has spent in education, he has dedicated the past 19 years to the advancement of the specialist maritime education programme at the Lawhill Maritime Centre, a programme which has helped hundreds of young people, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds, pursue careers in the maritime and related industries.
“His contribution in this regard is particularly significant considering South Africa’s unacceptably high levels of youth unemployment and poverty,” said Debbie Owen of the centre.
She added that Mr Ingpen’s dedication had helped to establish the Lawhill Maritime Centre at Simon’s Town School as a role model for schools-based maritime education in South Africa, if not the world.
“Brian Ingpen is a man of integrity, a compassionate individual who has sacrificed vast amounts of personal and family time to make a real and visible difference in the lives of others and invest in a future maritime generation,” she said.
Other maritime award winners were Michael Meyer (Commitment to the Environment), Smit Amandla Marine (Maritime Employer), Captain Zetta Gous-Conradie (Seafarer of the Year), television documentary series Durban Beach Rescue (Maritime Media), Sea Safety Training Centre (Maritime Newcomer), and Tsoso Hanong and Sanele Khawula (Maritime Students).
