What's in here, dad? Two-year-old Mark Henschel admires the trophy his dad, Torsten has won after being voted as the winner of the 2012 Centrum Guardian Project. With him is brother Kai (6), a learner at Glenwood House.
GEORGE NEWS - Local hero Torsten Henschel won the hearts and minds of Georgians when he rescued a teenage boy from drowning early this year. And now the whole of South Africa has given him the thumbs up by voting him the national winner of the Centrum Guardian Project 2012.
The winner was announced at a function at the Emperor's Palace in Boksburg on Tuesday. All 16 semifinalists in this year's project attended the awards ceremony.
Torsten arrived to a hero's welcome at George Airport on Wednesday morning where members of the NSRI Rescue team formed a guard of honour. George Executive Mayor, Charles Standers and his deputy, Daniël Maritz were also present to congratulate him. Torsten's two sons, Mark and Kai, also joined in the celebrations.
Smiling broadly, Torsten held his trophy up high and told his fellow NSRI members, "It's all yours! I'm overjoyed and extremely glad that I could bring the trophy back home. I'm so proud of the team!"
Torsten told the George Herald he had not been sure what the outcome of the voting would be. "There were so many worthy winners and I think every one of them deserved to have won. But winning it ... the feeling has not sunk in yet."
The public voted for Torsten via SMS, the Centrum Guardian Project website, mobisite and Facebook page.
Total prize money and the proceeds from SMS votes amounting to R60 741 will be handed over to Torsten's NRSI Wilderness Base Station. In addition, Torsten has decided to donate his personal prize money of R5 000 to the Base Station as well. The money will be used at the Wilderness Station to replace the crumbling floor.
Torsten and the other 15 semifinalists were all profiled on SABC 3 in a 13-week documentary drama series called Centrum Guardians 2012, hosted by renowned television personality and journalist Ruda Landman. Each semifinalist's story was recreated and then shown in the series to demonstrate to the viewers how much bravery, tenacity, strength and agility is required by Emergency Ser-vices' members to perform their daily jobs.
The Centrum Guardian Project recognises and rewards acts of courage and self-sacrifice by those who operate in the emergency services industry. It has been presented for five years.
The 2013 nominations are now open. For more information or to nominate someone or a team that deserves recognition, please visit www.centrumguardian.com.
Torsten Henchel is pas aangewys as die wenner van vanjaar se Centrum Guardian-projek. Dié projek gee erkenning aan nooddienstepersoneel vir hul dapperheid en selfopoffering. Hy het 'n tiener skoolseun vroeër vanjaar van 'n gewisse verdrinking gered. Torsten gaan sy persoonlike wengeld van R5 000 ook aan die NSRI Wildernisstasie geskenk. Hul totale wengeld van R65 741 gaan ingespan word om die stasie se verbrokkelende vloer te herstel.
Jubilation, as fellow members of the NSRI Wilderness team lift local hero Torsten Henschel holding the winning trophy, after he was voted winner of the 2012 Centrum Guardian Project by South Africans. He arrived at George Airport to a hero's welcome on Wednesday morning. From the left are Charles Standers, Executive Mayor of George and Torsten's NSRI colleagues Garth Dominy, Jacques de Bruyn, Heinrich Niehaus and Robert von Helsdingen.
ARTICLE: HUGO REDELINGHUYS, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
PHOTOS: CHRISTO VERMAAK, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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