The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft, je
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The piling barge Thor and the tug Kaipara during the construction of the 78m berth at Silo Park on the western end of Jellicoe Street Brent Shipman maintains a watchful eye Waterfront identity drives a HARD BARGAIN BY KEITH INGRAM Brent and June Shipman recently celebrated 25 years of successful business for Total Marine Services Limited and the popping out of pontoon 1000 from the mould by a sister company, Total Floating Systems. a rare insight into his private thoughts. This was indeed a privilege, as Brent is normally I very quiet and rather shy when he is the centre of attention. Clearly we were sharing a success story that started many years before, when his only claim to fame on leaving school to go to sea was a willing pair of hands. When Brent Shipman started his illustrious maritime career as a young seaman, little did this skinny, freckled redhead know where life's skills would take him as he walked through the gates of the Royal New Zealand Navy's training establishment HMNZS Tamaki at Narrowneck in 1972. His first introduction to his future life at sea was the screaming skull of the base gunnery instructor. This monster of a man at 5ft 6in (1.68m), who looked much larger in life, still commanded the base parade ground with a black iron boot as he breathed fire and fear into every new trainee. Such were the ways back then. 14 NZ WORKBOAT REVIEW 2012 t was during the dinner speeches, while surrounded by industry friends and colleagues that the big man, who is not noted for his public speaking unless he is cussing some hapless soul on the waterfront, gave Funny how the world's changed with all the PC and righteousness. One has to question if it is a better place for all of it. The 12 weeks of boot camp quickly passed and with exercise and plenty of good naval tucker the Shipman boy was a much larger and stronger lad who was ready with his classmates to take on the challenges of Navy life and suffer no fools along the way. Brent excelled in seamanship. From bends and hitches to splicing ropes and boat handling, he was a natural. He was also a handy mate ashore when the going got rough, and on more than one occasion he spent time contemplating life's funny old ways sobering up behind bars in some local copper's jail. Such was the life of a sailor when take no prisoners meant what it said, as some Pom or Aussie gave him and his mates shit while on a run ashore and quickly paid the price. Becoming a Navy diver only added to the work hard- play hard, lead-from-the-front attitude in life that still remains today. But how did he get into piling? When Brent left the Navy in 1978, the Auckland Harbour Board was on the lookout for more seamen to work the port's vessels and he quickly learnt the new skills of pile driving and wharf repairs. This lead to a stint on the deck of tugs before taking over as engineer/deckhand and relieving master of the Tika, which had just been rebuilt. Sadly, the previous master had lost his life when the tug was girted and rolled over while assisting the small tanker Selena from Wynyard Wharf. Back in those days, the Auckland Harbour Board