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Ceremonies

Naming and dedication Ceremonies Great Yarmouth & Gorleston-Atlantic 21 Joseph B. Press The turnout was as good as the glorious weather for the naming ceremony and service of dedication for Great Yarmouth and Gorleston's Atlantic 21 class lifeboat Joseph B. Press on 23 May 1989.

The Mayor of Great Yarmouth Borough, Mr Jim Shrimplin, headed the civic dignitaries who honoured the event and members of the Manning Press family, donors of the rigid inflatable B574, were also well represented.

Named after a former Great Yarmouth skipper, the lifeboat was handed over to the RNLI by his great nephew, Mr David Manning Press, whose family lives now in Kent.

A service of dedication was led by the Reverends Colin Cooper, David Archer, Graham Licence and Father Tom Murray, representing the Church of England, Non Conformist and Roman Catholic denominations respectively.

Civic and church leaders, visitors and wellwishers were all welcomed to Brush Quay, Gorleston by station branch chairman Dr Ian Anderson, who also welcomed Commandant Vonla McBride, a member of the Institution's Committee of Management, who formally accepted the boat from Mr Manning Press before handing it into the care of the station.

The lifeboat was accepted by station honorary secretary Mr Neal Duffield. Mrs Thelma Dowding, an honorary life governor and chairman of the Yarmouth and Gorleston Ladies' guild, gave the vote of thanks.

The boat was then named by the daughter of Mr David Manning Press, Miranda, before a demonstration launch where the Atlantic was accompanied by flank station lifeboats and Great Yarmouth and Gorleston's Waveney class lifeboat.

The new lifeboat, which went on to have one of the busiest summers on record following the May ceremony, was put through her paces by Senior Helmsman Trevor Tucker and his crew. Relief fleet-D class A new D class lifeboat provided by the Victory Wheelers Custom Car Club was handed over to the RNLI at the Poole depot on 15 December 1989.

The club began raising money for the lifeboat in 1983 by organising a Rod Run.

The run, held at a campsite on Hayling Island, became an annual event, increasing in popularity each year, and over twenty Victory Wheelers were present when Mr Ray Austin, chairman of the club, presented the lifeboat to Mr Anthony Oliver, head of fund raising for the RNLI.

The service of dedication was conducted by the Reverend Stanley Holbrooke- Jones, Rector of St James' Church in Poole. Macduff - Atlantic 21 The Rotary Club of Glasgow On a 'dreich' day with ominous forecasts of storm force winds, which later the same day resulted in lifeboat launches, it was appropriate that the naming ceremony of Macduff's Atlantic 21 should be held in the shelter of the fishmarket, where some 500 people, many of them Rotarians, could more comfortably witness and participate in the occasion.

With music provided by the locally renowned Banff Academy School Band under the leadership of Mrs P. Burke, the gloomy weather was quickly ignored and the scene set for Pipe Major Hadden to precede the platform party through the avenue of youngsters from the uniformed organisations to their places at centre stage.

Opening the proceedings, Mr J. A. S.

McPherson, CBE, JP, Lord-Lieutenant of Banffshire, first called on Mrs Jennings to unveil a plaque to the memory of friends and supporters of the RNLI who lost their lives in the Piper Alpha oil rig disaster. Following the tragedy monies intended for the lifeboat service were recovered from personnel's lockers and it was the wish of everyone concerned that this tribute should be made at a lifeboat station in the north east of Scotland.

During the minute's silence which followed the unveiling many present reflected upon lost relatives and friends.

Having been so sadly reminded of the cost in human terms that the sea can exact from those who venture on it, the ceremony continued.

Mr Archie MacCallum, a former president of The Rotary Club of Glasgow who had held office when the club so successfully raised the cost of the lifeboat in celebration of its 75th anniversary, handed the boat over to Mr Archie MacKenzie, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Scottish Lifeboat Council and a member of the Committee of Management. Mr MacKenzie in turn delivered the boat to the Macduff lifeboat station on whose behalf it was accepted by the honorary secretary, Captain Colin Bullen.

The service of dedication was led by the Reverend Randall and all present, being as involved with the sea as they were, appreciated the full significance of the moment.

The time duly arrived for Mr Graham S teele, current president of The Rotary Club of Glasgow, to name the lifeboat. Having accepted a framed photograph of the lifeboat from a shy Emma Stewart, he presented a commemorative pennant and booklet to Captain Bullen before proceeding to take the quaich of whisky formally proffered by the senior helmsman, Jim Allan, name the boat The Rotary Club of Glasgow and decant the liquid over the bow.

Following the ceremony, the lifeboat was launched and the two principal Rotarians experienced at first hand the capabilities of 'their' boat before joining the remainder of the guests for refreshments and the cutting of the christening cake. Relief fleet - D class The combined fund raising activities of the Civil Service Motoring Association, Frizzell Insurance and Blakesley Village during 1987 resulted in the gift of a new 16ft D class inflatable lifeboat.

A further sum of over £8,000 has already covered the cost of equipment on the 47ft Tyne class lifeboat Good Shepherd.

At a special ceremony at the Poole depot on 13 December 1989, attended by Mr Colin Frizzell, chairman, and other representatives of Frizzells, Blakesley Village and the CSMA, Mr Tony Richardson, director of the Civil Service Motoring Association presented the lifeboat to the Institution. She was formally accepted by Mr Anthony Oliver, the RNLI's head of fund raising.

The Reverend Stanley Holbrooke-Jones, Rector of St James' Church, Poole, conducted a service of dedication..