WESTERN MAIL WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2017  19

>>Deputy coxswain Marc Gibbons >>Crewman Mark Fisher >>Coxswain Martin Bowmer >>Crewman Nigel Parry >>Deputy coxswain David Phillips

food shop. remains modest.

“I’ve been in the middle of taking “The family came back down some
my wife to dinner once when my time later to thank us and make a
pager went off. By the time I had kit- donation to the RNLI. At the time it
ted up at the station they had found wasn’t a great day, but when we real-
the person, but they cancelled my ised he was all right that was the
order when I got back to the restau- main thing.”
rant,” said Howard Metcalfe, a semi- Even for those who save lives on a
retired consultant mechanic from daily basis, treating people at sea can
Barry. be difficult.
“I always leave a set of clothes by John McAllister was originally a
the bed so if it goes off you’re straight butcher when he joined the RNLI 14
out the door. I leave shoes in the years ago but after being inspired by
porch with a pair of socks in because a fellow volunteer who worked as a
if you have to run back up the stairs paramedic he decided to change his
you’re losing vital time.” career by training to become a mem-
Howard is also training to be a ber of the Welsh Ambulance Service.
navigator for the team and must be “Occasionally you finish work and
within a 10-minute drive of the sta- are driving home and your pager
tion when covering for the full-time goes off and you turn around and
navigator. drive to the station. If you’re lucky
“You can get a bit stir-crazy. You they will have enough people to go
can’t even go for a walk because I out or it will only be a few hours
need to be only a couple of minutes long,” said John.
from the car,” he said. The 41-year-old added: “The long-
Some crew members have more est shift we were out on was 18 hours
maritime experience than others. of searching and it was a hoax call.
David Brooks, known by his child- “We had three other lifeboats and
hood nickname of “Digger”, a helicopter. I had finished work for
describes himself as a “harbour rat”. the day and the pager went off at
His brother is a fellow volunteer and around five or six and we didn’t
his parents live overlooking the pon- come back until 2pm the next day.
toon where the rescue boats are “You’re out there getting fatigued
docked. and still going, so when you realise
Much to his embarrassment, the it’s fake you’re b****y angry.”
team was called out once after a John said: “Out at sea is a different
member of the public reported a sort of decision-making process. It
boat near a dangerous piece of coast. can be quite different to switch from
After kitting up, they found David the RNLI mode to work mode. You
and his girlfriend on his private boat have to think about the state of the
happily sailing towards them. boat and weigh it all up.”
The tugboat operator said: “One But John said that whatever they
minute you’re asleep, three minutes are faced with, they all have a strong
later you don’t know what you’ll be bond and work together as a team.
faced with. In my work it’s a lot more “We come down here and you enjoy
predictable. it. There’s 22 blokes and we all come
“One guy was having his hair cut from different backgrounds and with
once and had to go out. He came different interests and who wouldn’t
back three hours later to have it fin- normally have met.”
ished. While many have volunteered at
“I’ve been in sandwich places the lifeboat station for decades, none
it’ – the volunteer crew of Barry Dock RNLI in action Stephen Duncombe were you just have to go. They know has been there for as long as offshore
I’ll come back and pay later.” application engineer Mark Fisher.
“We ended up back at the station once in awful weather and thinking Nigel, who works as an aeroplane Like Marc, David also has one par- Joining at the age of 17, Mark has
to have a pot of tea to have a chat but most normal people are heading in engineer inspector for General Elec- ticular rescue mission that sticks in been a volunteer for more than 20
everyone gets on with it in their own the other direction. If it’s bad you stay tric in Nantgarw, said being a mem- mind over his years of volunteering. years after first starting under the
way.” inside the boat. You’re all strapped in ber of the RNLI affects not just him, “There was one call about six or instruction of his stepfather, who
Marc, 28, who dreamed of becom- the harness and it’s very noisy, very but his whole family. seven years ago at Whitmore Bay. We was coxswain at the time.
ing a “lifeboat man” after trips to dif- hot and you are being thrown around The father of five children, Nigel went straight to Friars Point and it Mark, who is dad to one-year-old
ferent stations on family holidays, quite a bit. The worst is when you said his kids have got used to it but for was a flat, calm summer day and the son George, said: “When I started
remembers the fear in the eyes of have had a big meal and had to put his wife the worry never goes away. tide was out. We met the coastguard there were no pagers, just the tele-
two children while they were stuck on all your gear and run on to the “My wife still gets worried since down in the road who said children phone. The guard would call my
on a rock surrounded by the terror of pontoon.” you’re going into the unknown. had got out the water saying there stepfather’s house. We would write
the sea. Perhaps unsuprisingly, none of “For the kids it’s normal for them was one more out there somewhere.” our numbers down and give the list
“Once there were two 10-year-old the volunteers admits to seasickness since they’ve grown up with it. It’s After going out on the search for to the coastguard to tell work and
girls out on a rock and they were when being thrown around in the normal for me to dash off when the the child, David said: “The wash of family when we would be back.”
stuck. The moment they got on the rough waters. pager goes – they help me with my the bigger lifeboat washed the boy After being a crew member for so
rescue boat they wouldn’t let go of But temperatures can quickly drop keys and wallet.” up and I got him in the boat and long, Mark has some wise advice for
me until we got back into the har- out at sea with the rising wind – a When that call comes in the crew started CPR. He had been underwa- those younger than him.
bour. They were terrified. It wasn’t fact some have learned the hard way have little idea of what’s in store and ter and lifeless for five minutes mini- “My motto from this is, ‘bring
the most heroic of rescues but it was before adding hats and gloves to it’s important for them to get to the mum. At that point your training just something to it but don’t expect to
a lovely summer’s evening and the their emergency kit. station as quickly as they can. kicks in. At the end of the day I’m not take anything away from it’. You
tide came in quickly. The fear in As calls can mean hours on the “We all make sure the car is always a paramedic, I drive boats so they bring your time and your experience
those children was unreal.” boat, members can take shelter in facing in the right direction,” said take a lot of time and effort to make and if you want anything else you’re
The team also face the challenge of the cabin, where an emergency stock Nigel. “You have to think your routes sure we are all trained to a really doing it for the wrong reason.
dealing with the ferocity of the sea of tea, biscuits and chocolate is through – getting on Barry Island can good standard. “Every crew member has to have a
itself. stored to keep energy levels high. be a nightmare. It can be quite frus- “Somebody had already called for strong partner trust or you couldn’t
Nigel Parry did not have any form But with all focus on the mission trating but you have to drive safely.” a helicopter and it happened to be do it. They are as important to the
of sailing background when he itself, most volunteers turn their They have to drop everything to on a training exercise in the area. It boat as the crew. If they don’t sup-
joined the RNLI and just wanted to attention to describing the adrena- get there as soon as possible. landed on the beach and they got port you, you can’t do it.”
try something different. lin-fuelled feeling of being called More than one of the men has left him to hospital.” ■■ To donate to the RNLI, call 0300
“I remember getting called out out. his wife in the middle of the weekly Despite his heroic actions, David 300 9990 or see www.rnli.org