WMA Cadet Graham Crawford Wins Bevis Minter Award
A Warsash Maritime Academy Engineer cadet has been awarded the 2011 Nautilus International Bevis Minter Award for the most worthy trainee officer.
Graham Crawford was presented with the award by Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson – who praised Graham’s determination and achievements as ‘remarkable’.
Graham had worked in the retail and food sectors before deciding on a major career change of course after his father died a few years ago. The company he had been working for would not give him time off to care for his father, so he resigned and did what he describes as a number of ‘dead-end’ jobs before reading about Merchant Navy cadetships.
‘I always had an interest in engineering but never had the chance to do it,’ he said. ‘This job offers it all – training, travel and responsibility – and nothing compares with it.’
Graham has been training with Viking Recruitment onboard Holland America Line cruiseships, and his seatime has taken him to such places as Hawaii, Alaska and the Arctic. ‘I love being at sea,’ he said. ‘You get to work with some amazing characters and the best thing about the job is that you get both mental and physical challenges.’
Staff at Warsash nominated Graham for the award, noting that he has consistently excelled as a team member on his course, playing a key role in encouraging and drawing out the best from his fellow students. His previous experience has helped him to act as a mentor for others – both academically and personally.
Left - Right Graeme Young (Senior Lecturer), Mark Dickinson (Secretary General of Nautilus),
Matthew Jaenicker (Director- Viking Recruitment) Mrs Crawford, Graham Crawford, Nick Ball (Principal Lecturer, Engineering)
John Millican, Dean of the Faculty of Maritime Technology at Southampton Solent University accepts a plaque from Mark Dickinson of Nautilus International
Mr Dickinson added: ‘The qualities so amply displayed by Graham are in the best traditions of merchant seafaring. The shipping industry has changed dramatically in recent decades, but I continue to be impressed by the remarkable aptitude and attitude of today’s officer trainees and Graham is a shining example of such attributes.’