Our bursary students go sailing, by Liesl King
Four years ago the Royal Cape Yacht Club decided to provide bursaries for two students to attend the Simons Town School’s Lawhill Maritime Centre. For the past 25 years Lawhill has been providing Grade 10 to Grade 12 students with a maritime-industry-focused education, thus opening up a world of opportunities for them both here in South Africa and abroad.
Our first two bursary students, Apelele Ntshinka and Thapelo Moletsane, successfully completed their schooling last year. Thapelo was offered a learnership by the Oceana Group, while Apelele received a SATS General Botha Old Boys Association bursary for an Officer in Charge of Navigational Watch course at the SSTG Maritime Training Institute.
This year we are sponsoring two new students Juvandre Williams and Gracia Pillay. Juvandre hails from a small town, Delportshoop, near Kimberley and moved to Cape Town in 2009, when his dad joined the Navy. The sea has always been part of Gracia Pillay’s life. Her parents are instructors at the Sea Cadet base TS Woltemade in Sandvlei, while her brother and sister are midshipmen. In Grade 5 Gracia decided that she wanted to become a Harbour pilot.
Both students were taken out for a sail on the Academy’s L26 recently by Sibusiso Sizatu and two of the instructors. There was a fair breeze with quite a lot of swell but they both enjoyed it tremendously. Gracie is a Sea Cadet and says that she feels like a seed that is nurtured and watered by the Cadets to reach her potential. Juvandre aspires to be a Navigational Officer and is also a Sea Cadet. He thrives on learning new things and says he enjoys inspiring and motivating others.
RCYC received a lovely note in appreciation of their sail. “We just wanted to say thank you very, very, very much for the amazing opportunity and for making it possible, it was indescribable and breath-taking. We would gladly without a doubt do it over and over again thank you!”
We look forward to taking both students out on the water again!
To view the S.A.T.S. General Botha Old Boys Association Bursary Fund Report, click here.
