News
The HSSA AGM was held at the end of January 2005 and Aubrey Price (president) and Steve Smith (secretary/treasurer) were re-elected to manage the affairs of the Society for the 2005/2006 Financial Year. Membership of the International Federation of Hydrographic Societies (IFHS) was debated, and although there is a substantial implication in terms of individual membership subscriptions, members voted unanimously to back the International Federation and for the HSSA to become an active member of the international body. Our application or membership is currently being approved by IFHS Council.
Besides regular monthly General Meetings, the HSSA has completed two of the three Hydrographic Training Modules for survey diploma students enrolled at the local technical college and members of the marine industry. Thirty-six students enrolled for this year’s hydrographic course and this demand for hydrographic knowledge bodes well for the regular courses we will be holding over coming years.
The second Technical Awareness Seminar (TAS 05) was currently under final planning and will have been completed by the time this report is published. A full report on the TAS will be published in the near future.

A new HSSA incentive is to work on possibly forming a network of ‘proudly South African’ marine survey companies and individuals who would collectively market and promote their services and products instead of everyone just doing their own thing. The feeling is that the Society is a good platform to start looking into how the mechanisms of such a network would work; once up and running, the network would break away to run independently of the HSSA. Although somewhat outside of the general scope of the Society’s aims and function, it was thought that the existing forum of members and their respective business interests might be put to good use for the promotion of joint services and local expertise, especially to overseas markets.

For further information on the HSSA and planned activities, please contact Aubrey Price (aop@cctechnol.co.za) or Steve Smith (sms@kfa.co.za). General meetings are held in Cape Town, at the Royal Cape Yacht Club, every last Tuesday of every month except December. Visitors are most welcome to attend.

Contact
The Hydrographic Society of South Africa (HSSA)
P.O. Box 30532
Tokai 7966
Cape Town, South Africa
Tel & Fax: +27 21 702 1870