THE FUND
Photo taken by Hugo Attfield
THE FUND
The S.A.T.S. General Botha Old Boys’ Association Bursary Fund (GBOBA BF) was launched in 2011 after a visit by S.A.T.S. General Botha Old Boys’ Association (GBOBA) reunion groups to the Lawhill Maritime Centre (LMC) at Simon’s Town School. Lawhill so impressed the ex Bothie cadets as being similar to the General Botha in its years as a training ship, a nautical college and an academy that is was decided that it would be valuable and appropriate to establish a bursary fund to assist in the education and training of young South Africans for maritime careers.
STUDENTS AND SPONSORS
Bursaries are awarded to carefully assessed students mainly from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend Lawhill Maritime Centre
at Simon’s Town High School. Besides two languages, Mathematics, Physical Science, Physical Science and Life Orientation, the maritime-related subjects of Maritime Economics, Marine Sciences and Nautical Science are taken as preparation for entry into careers
in the shipping industry. Real dedication is required of our students to do well in all these subjects! Students board at LMC and for those who live outside of Cape Town funding for termly transport to and from home is provided.
Grade 10
Grade 10
Grade 10
Grade 10
Grade 11
Grade 11
Grade 11
Grade 11
Grade 12
Grade 12
Grade 12
Grade 12
TERTIARY STUDENTS
The Fund incorporated the Society of Master Mariners South Africa Bursary Fund in 2016, enabling it to extend its bursary awards to tertiary level students from 2017. Several students have completed their tertiary studies with distinctions and are well under way in their maritime careers.
MENTORING AND OUTREACH
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Nurturing Sea Fever
This has proven to be the critical success of students that are part of the GBOBA Bursary Fund program. It includes an annual Orientation Day for new Bursary Fund LMC students, swimming training, maritime related outings, pre sea training exercises, sailing and motorboat training and camps as well as scheduled term reviews with mentors to monitor academic progress and emotional well-being. This mentorship continues during tertiary studies and later as our students embark on their sea going careers.
The swimming, pre sea, sailing and motorboat training is also offered to LMC students who are not funded by the Bursary Fund and Sea Cadets. In total 125 students have benefitted from the program thus far with four students recently qualifying with their Sailing Day Skippers licence and ten with a Category E Motorboat licence.
