HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INDUSTRY RECEPTION

This year's Industry Reception was held in the very sleek Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) alongside the actual conference.  The Industry Reception took place in the Jasminum Conservatory surrounded by glass and internal trees!  All delegates attended and enjoyed exceptional catering and service from the CTICC Staff. The delegates spent around 3 hours chatting to the vendors which was mutually beneficial.

CDR Trond Juvik of the Norwegian Navy is the new Chairman of the SMERWG Conference and, as with his predecessor, Bernard Michaelli of France, he steered the meeting in a direct and progressive style.

The Industry sponsors of this event, travelled many miles to represent their companies and, as previously, this was very much appreciated by the delegates – "... this is a really useful element of the conference".  The South African Navy also expressed its thanks for the Industry Support.

Cape Town itself is certainly a city worth visiting; the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront where most of the delegates stayed has a vibrant community.  The FIFA World Cup will be held there in 2010 and an impressive new stadium (seating 68000 spectators) is nearing completion.

Vice Admiral Mudimu, chief of the South African Navy, gave two impressive speeches acknowledging the importance of the NATO SMERWG conferences.  He welcomed delegates on arrival and also attended the Ice Breaker where he could meet delegates in a relaxed atmosphere.

Chief of the SA Navy, V Adm J Mudimu greeting all the delegates upon arrival

The South African hosts provided a complete conference package which boasted good IT, excellent surroundings and  abundant, high quality refreshments. 

The US Navy hosted a meal at Mama Africa in downtown Cape Town on Thursday evening and, whilst there was a bit of a struggle for the staff to feed around 120 people, the traditional food was interesting and tasty.  The live band were exceptional and kept everyone on their feet until the early hours.  Many thanks to Lt Jamie Cook for all his hard work in arranging this evening.

Abavuki

Abavuki is a group of young musicians from Langa, a township near Cape Town in South Africa. The name "Abavuki" which means "Wake up, early birds!" refers not only to their youth, but also to their philosophy of seizing the moment and getting things done for themselves. They developed love for music at a young age and started playing with various groups.

Towards the end of 2001, they came together and began creating their unique brand of African Jazz. Using marimbas, percussion, brass instruments and even an operatic trained voice, weaving traditional African rhythms and melodies into a contemporary format, which is highly danceable and almost latin American in feel.

LTCDR Peter Morris of the UK SETT became a grandfather during the conference – Congratulations! To Peter and all his family.

Next year's SMERWG Conference will be hosted by the Netherlands and held in Amsterdam; another vibrant city with excellent conference facilities.  Contractors wishing to jointly sponsor the Industry Reception should contact info@sonistics.com

From l to r Captain A. De Wet, R Adm R.W. Higgs, Commander T. Juvik and Captain D.T.S Thomson

Many thanks to the South African Navy for an exceptional week.

IMAGES

Click the image below to take you to the SMERWG 09 Gallery.  We will be adding to these over the next few weeks so please send any appropriate photographs the gallery for all delegates to share;  email sam@sonistics.com.

For full information about SMERWG annual conferences visit the ISMERLO website