Safety at sea crucial to role
MARINE EDUCATION HAS BECOME A DRIVING MISSION FOR GARY HADDOCK AT THE GREAT BARRIER REEF INTERNATIONAL MARINE COLLEGE, WRITES ALICIA NALLY
Not many people can say they arrived in Cairns by yacht from the Solomon Islands. But Gary Haddock’s affinity with the sea began long before he set foot on dry land in the Far North and continues to this day in his role as the marine industry portfolio manager at the Great Barrier Reef International Marine College. After learning to sail in the chilly winds of Port Phillip Bay off Melbourne as a kid, Mr Haddock (above) was hooked on the maritime way of life and spent 25 years working in a range of sectors including commercial business, tourism and the government in a variety of locations.
NOT many people can say they arrived in Cairns by yacht from the Solomon Islands.
But Gary Haddock’s affinity with the sea began long before he set foot on dry land in the Far North and continues to this day in his role as the marine industry portfolio manager at the Great Barrier Reef International Marine College.
After learning to sail in the chilly winds of Port Phillip Bay off Melbourne as a kid, Mr Haddock was hooked on the maritime way of life and spent 25 years working in a range of sectors including commercial business, tourism and the government in a variety of locations.
“I had no intention of coming to Cairns to stay (when I arrived 30 years ago) but I have worked from here pretty much continuously since then,” Mr Haddock said.
A project opportunity to work with TAFE Queensland and the Queensland Government on occupational training in the commercial diving sector 10 years ago was the catalyst for the 56-year-old’s involvement with marine education in the Far North.
The Great Barrier Reef International Marine College falls under the governance of TAFE North Queensland and Mr Haddock said the institute’s growth since it opened eight years ago was testament to the importance placed on training in the sometimes dangerous sector. In 2011, the new college handled 200 students.
In the last financial year alone, 1400 students graduated from the Portsmith facility and more than 120 Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Maritime Safety Queensland-accredited course start dates were recorded.
Students are able to access state-of-the-art training resources including a full mission bridge simulator, a tug-optimised bridge, desktop simulators, a multipurpose emergency response training simulator, engineering work- shops, an immersion pool and training vessel.
“It is fundamentally a ship-ashore facility in which staff deliver training through a range of live scenarios,” Mr Haddock said.
“So students are trained on exactly how to respond on board, whether it is a small vessel or a ship.”
Students can gain real-life experience from extinguishing fires on board, to dealing with a sinking boat within a metre and a half of water and observing works at local maritime facilities like Norship.
Facilities in Townsville and
AFTER LEARNING TO SAIL IN THE CHILLY WINDS OF PORT PHILLIP BAY OFF MELBOURNE AS A KID, GARY HADDOCK WAS HOOKED ON THE MARITIME WAY OF LIFE
TRAINING IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT IN THE MARINE INDUSTRY PARTICULARLY ON THE SAFETY SIDE GARY HADDOCK
Thursday Island provide similar opportunities for those outside of Cairns.
“There has been an exponential increase in growth. We have a very small footprint but very good results,” Mr Haddock said.
“Training is incredibly important in the marine industry, particularly on the safety side. There are a set of safety requirements which span the industry.
“I’d say there are sometimes unpredictable risks because you have environmental factors as well, which other industries might not have.
“Equipment has to be in very good condition and you have to work in an environment that is constantly changing.
“Certainly we’ve got the equipment and facilities here. We put students through very realistic scenarios.”
That unpredictable marine environment disastrously claimed the lives of six Cairns men in one of the state’s worst maritime incidents when the FV Dianne capsized near Bundaberg on October 16.
Mr Haddock reflected on what he described as an “incredibly sad event”.
“I know the crew had been trained. Whatever happened could only have been unforeseen,” he said.
Mr Haddock has overseen the expansion and decline of the Great Barrier Reef International Marine College’s services to the oil industry and its growth into the Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea as well the domestic tourism sector.
He hopes the growth of the superyacht industry in Queensland will also provide more opportunities for the business.
“For me personally, I think Cairns is a great location for the college due to the way the airport is configured. We get people from all over,” he said.
“It’s a particularly attractive destination for people coming down south from the winter and mariners are usually happy to travel.”