Cape Town - Simon’s Town School’s Maritime Studies Programme founder and educator extraordinaire, Brian Ingpen, is one of the recipients of the National Order of the Baobab Silver by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The award was bestowed on Ingpen for his contribution to maritime education.
More than two decades ago, Ingpen co-founded Simon’s Town School’s Maritime Studies Programme, a donor-funded, specialist education programme to prepare youngsters for a career in the maritime industry, while they are still at school.
He also compiled the National Senior Certificate-approved Maritime Economics curriculum for Grades 10-12 and taught at Simon’s Town School’s Lawhill Maritime Centre, and at schools in KwaZulu Natal, the Eastern Cape, and Gauteng.
The now retired Ingpen, 74, spent 46 years in the education sector before taking a break from teaching at the end of 2019.
He said he had an interest in shipping and all things maritime-related since childhood. This led to him teaching Maritime Economics for 23 years and authoring nine maritime books for large shipping companies.
He also writes a weekly shipping column for the Cape Times.
Ingpen said he was honoured by the award which was a reflection of the hard work he and many other people had put in throughout the years.
“I was privileged to receive this award but I must also point to the wonderful team of energetic, enthusiastic, and dedicated people at Lawhill and also to the encouragement, support, and generosity of sponsors from the local and international shipping industry who made it all possible. So any successes were the result of a team effort,” he said.
Ingpen said he believed he played a significant role in the maritime and shipping industry, and in helping the young people studying at his institution.
“A lot of young people in the school do eventually go into the maritime industry either at sea industry or shipping at the shore and some go into owning businesses or into other professions.
“Wherever they go we know that they will always have maritime knowledge background to whatever they do,” he said.
Ingpen said the industry had huge potential and with care for management, it would flourish and be of great benefit to young people.