Lt Cdr Hand the new TS Springs commander
He was raised in Springs and follows in the footsteps of his father Lt Cdr (SCC) Dave Hand who was once the Officer Commanding of TS Springs.
The Training Ship Springs (TS Springs) has a new commander in Lt Commander (SCC) Chris Hand.
This comes after Lt Commander (SCC) Vaughn Cooper stepped down after seven years at the helm.
Cooper had to step down due to work and family commitments.
The handover took place on Saturday at the Strubenvale Primary School grounds.
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Hand returns to Springs after a 32 year absence, and says he looks forward to continue the legacy demonstrated by his predecessor.
He was raised in Springs, and follows in the footsteps of his father, Lt Commander (SCC) Dave Hand, who was once the Officer Commanding of TS Springs.
Hand is an experienced officer who joined the South Africa National Defence Force (SANDF) in 1988, and left in 2002 after rising through the ranks to become Lt Col.
He takes over a thriving ship in Springs, which has seen a large number of cadets join this year.
One of the promising cadets is Keabetswe Maphakela, who holds the rank of Seaman who joined in March.“I love the cadets, it’s fun, get to meet new people, learn new skills and travel.
“Being here has built my confidence, and I’ve been able to show the boys that anything they can do, we can do it better than them,” says Maphakela.
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Maphakela says she is looking forward to being under the leadership of Hand, and that the cadets are eager to learn from him.
The cadets will continue to learn under Hand over the festive season and the TS Springs says their aim is to develop the cadet’s characters and teach them maritime orientated skills while having fun.
The parade ended with a general salute to welcome the new commander.
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