André Eugene Rudman joined the SA Navy in 1958, attended various courses and served at sea as an executive officer in mine sweepers and frigates.
He was awarded the Packer Memorial shield in 1964 as the most outstanding student on the Lieutenant’s Qualifying course. In 1966 he qualified as an Anti-Submarine Warfare specialist in the United Kingdom.
He had extensive experience in several training appointments, notably as Officer Commanding of the Naval Staff College from 1979 to 1981, where his search for better ways of using the human mind was started. His last full-time post was that of Officer Commanding Naval Training Command, where he was responsible for directing training in the SA Navy, with all the training units under his command. He retired from full-time service in the Navy as a Commodore ﴾Now Rear-Admiral (JG) ﴿ in 1987.
Since leaving the Navy his experience includes a partnership in a small manufacturing business, running his own training enterprise (Mindskills Training) and an appointment as General Manager of the National Sea Rescue Institute.
He joined Lead the Field Africa as a director in July 1991, and was involved in Lifeskills training, the Learning Ability Battery and Adult Basic Education programmes. He served in the SA Navy Reserve as a member of the Naval Reserve Board from 1993 to 2004, where he was tasked with projects like writing the Navy’s Reserve Force policy, planning the Reserve career management system and the redesign of the Navy’s Reserve Force.
In 1997 he established Africa Discovery Tours, remaining active as an independent tour operator.
He returned to Lead the Field in 2007 as the Western Cape Area representative, and assisted with the upgrading of the Learning Ability Battery programme and materials.
