In June this year 38-year-old Herzlia alumnus Robyn Silverstone was elected Station Commander for NSRI Table Bay.
Her involvement with the National Sea Rescue Institute began at the age of 16. After a gemilut chasidim project at school, she joined the organisation as a trainee, progressing up the ranks to crew and then a Class 3 coxswain.
When asked who and what helped her to progress to her current position, she acknowledges her late mother, โI think the support from her in my early years as a trainee allowed me to to keep progressing as a trainee. She would drive me to training on the weekend and during the week along with taking me to call-outs. Without that dedication from her to my growth at Sea Rescue, I would never have completed the tasks and hours to become crewโ.
Asked what she loves about it, she replied, โThe people, helping others in need, constantly learning and challenging myself. Being able to enable and empower within Sea Rescue,โ and adds, โTime is quite tough as a volunteer to manage it around work and personal life. So you need to put the extra effort into it.โ
Robyn advises others who want to get involved, โItโs an extremely rewarding organisation. If you have time to give and are wanting to learn new skills to save lives on South African waters, then the world is your oyster. Youโll be a trainee for roughly a year and then you build your experience as a crew once qualified.โ
Two other Herzlians who hold senior positions in the NSRI are Luke Van Riet, Station Commander, and David Rosenberg, Deputy Station Commander, both at Bakoven.
โข Published in the PDF edition of the July 2022 issue โย Click here to read it.
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