By the time this letter is published I will have succeeded Rear Admiral Graham as director and secretary of the RNLI.

It is a tremendous honour and a considerable challenge to have been appointed by the committee of management of the RNLI to become the new director and I am now looking forward to the New Year and the opportunity of endeavouring to justify the confidence placed in me. Certainly if good wishes could be used as a measurement of success, then few problems await me! I have been so grateful for the many messages of congratulations and goodwill that I have received from RNLI friends and although I have been able to acknowledge these messages personally, I would again like to express my appreciation to everyone who has been kind enough to write to me.

Becoming the director of the RNLI would be a challenge at any time; however the requirement to prove a worthy successor to Admiral Graham adds another dimension! Many tributes will be paid to Admiral Graham as his retirement approaches, but as his deputy for the last five years, I am particularly well placed to confirm that he has served the RNLI with total dedication while he has been director and I have benefited enormously from his friendship and wise counsel throughout this period. This letter provides me with a further opportunity to express my thanks to Admiral Graham for the encouragement and support he has given to me and also to wish him and Mrs Graham a long and happy retirement.

Whenever I am given a chance to talk about the RNLI, I always emphasise my view that the Institution is truly a great family organisation and I make no apologies for repeating that again now.

Many changes will need to take place in the future and the RNLI must and will move with the times. Notwithstanding this, the pride of service, the enthusiasm and the sheer dedication which are so evident wherever one goes within the RNLI must never be taken for granted. They are among our most priceless assets and are fundamental to our continuing success in the years ahead. I would add that these attributes and the RNLI spirit generally are admired not only in this country, but by our friends and colleagues in other lifeboat services throughout the world, and I see it as one of the prime tasks of the director and the staff to ensure that this spirit is preserved and also encouraged to prosper still further in the future.

There is no doubt that the future offers many new challenges for the RNLI. So much has been achieved over the last few years with the introduction of new lifeboat designs, but equally exciting developments are now in the planning stages and hopefully we will benefit from the results within the next few years. In achieving worthwhile improvements, it is always essential to remember that high standards must be maintained, as we owe it to our coxswains and crew members to ensure that lifeboats and their equipment are the very best that can be provided.

So far as finance and fund raising are concerned, long may we go on being able to say that we are supported entirely by voluntary contributions, as I believe that the RNLI's experience of over 160 years has proved that a lifeboat service funded in this way can be outstandingly successful. At present the finances of the RNLI are in very encouraging order, thanks largely to our many generous donors and the magnificent efforts of our fund raisers, together with the care taken by those concerned to ensure that RNLI funds are used with wisdom and prudence. It is another vital responsibility of the director and the staff to ensure that under the overall control of the committee of management, the funds of the RNLI continue to be utilised to the best advantage, and essentially this means that the largest possible proportion is expended on the provision of modern lifeboats and equipment for the coast.

Although the RNLI is a charity, it is also an unique organisation in many ways. We have a commitment to the governments of Great Britain and Ireland to provide a modern sea rescue service maintained at peak efficiency on a 24-hour basis, day in and day out throughout the year. In order to meet that commitment effectively, and to the high standards that the world expects of countries with great seafaring traditions, it is necessary that we continue to strive for high professional standards in everything that we do. We have never failed in that objective in the past and I am confident that we will not do so in the future.

I extend good wishes to all members of the RNLI family in 1988 and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the future.

Staff changes On January 1, 1988 Lt Cmdr Brian Miles, RD, RNR, succeeded Rear Admiral W J Graham as director and secretary of the RNLI. Admiral Graham had held the appointment for 8'/2 years.

Lt Cmdr Miles (pictured left, presenting his new deputy Ray Kipling to the RNLI's president) joined the RNLI in 1964 as an assistant inspector of lifeboats in Scotland, following a 10-year career with the P & O Shipping Company, mainly on passenger liners. He has also undertaken periodic training as a Naval reserve officer.

From 1967 to 1973 he held appointments as inspector of lifeboats in Scotland and Ireland before joining the RNLI's head office staff as executive assistant to the director. In 1978 he was appointed staff officer operations and in 1982 became deputy director. During 1987 he acted as deputy director and chief of operations.

He is married with two daughters and one son.

The new deputy director is Mr Ray Kipling, who joined the RNLI in 1973 and who was appointed public relations officer in 1980. During 1987 Mr Kipling, who is married with one daughter, acted as assistant director, pending his new appointment, which also came into effect on January 1.

The Institution's new chief of operations is Captain George R Cooper, RD*, MNI, RNR, (pictured below) who has been deputy chief of operations since 1981, before which he had spent 18 months at head office as a staff officer and nine years on the coast as a divisional inspector of lifeboats in the west and north west divisions. He is a captain in the Royal Naval Reserve, with a staff appointment as Captain Training and Recruiting, List One.

Captain Cooper is married, with two sons..