Celebrating the RNLI family, past and present

Happy retirement, Elsie
Elsie Miller, Honorary Secretary at Ramsgate RNLI, is stepping down from her role after celebrating an impressive 64 years of volunteering at the station. She first became involved with Ramsgate Lifeboat Station when she was just 6 months old, taking part in a water gala with the crew. She later joined the Ramsgate Ladies’ Lifeboat Guild, which her mother had helped to found. Between 1954 and 2018, Elsie volunteered in several roles, including honorary secretary, chair and minutes secretary. She was awarded the RNLI’s Silver Badge in 2003 and Gold Badge in 2014 for her devoted service. Perhaps it was inevitable that Elsie would become a volunteer. Her father, Douglas Kirkaldie, was coxswain at Ramsgate from 1946
to 1952. We thank Elsie for her dedication to the RNLI and wish her a long and happy retirement.

A familiar face: Crew member rescues father

When Anstruther Crew Member George Hodge was paged at 6am, the last person he expected to be called out to was his father. George had just fallen asleep after finishing a night shift when he was woken by the sound of his pager. He made his way to the station, helped launch the D class lifeboat and powered to the
scene – where he found his father Brian, whose boat had a fouled propeller. George joined his dad aboard the boat and worked with his fellow crew members to bring Brian back to the sanctuary of Anstruther Harbour. George and Brian even took a photo together to remember the rescue. It certainly

A DREAM COME TRUE

Ten-year-old Theo from London was diagnosed with a diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumour of the central nervous system. Theo loves dressing up as the emergency services and told charity Starlight Children’s Foundation that his ultimate dream would be to have his very own RNLI uniform.
He was invited to Tower Lifeboat Station, where he was given a private tour and his own special crew kit – including a helmet, lifejacket and yellow wellies. It fitted him perfectly! The crew at Tower Lifeboat Station were absolutely delighted to meet their newest recruit – Theo’s a real hero

Feathered family rescued

When a house martin’s nest fell off its wall at Cardigan Lifeboat Station, a quick-thinking crew member came to the rescue. After discovering the nest and examining the damage, the crew found three chicks still alive – and one volunteer had the bright idea of improvising a new nest from his helmet! We’re pleased to report that the parents didn’t seem to mind the change, and the baby birds successfully fledged a couple of weeks later. The crew hope they’ll return this year to nest on station.

Celebrating Life

Join us in remembering our RNLI Family members who have recently passed away.
David Acland CBE DL – September 2018
Former Chairman of the RNLI
Neil Cooke – September 2018
Legacy Team Manager
Moira East – April 2018
Former Systems Administrator
Paul Giles – June 2018
Volunteer at Weston-super-Mare Lifeboat Station
Sean Kearns – July 2018
Former Mechanic at Dunmore East Lifeboat Station
Adam Moody – September 2018
Helm at Craster Lifeboat Station
David Oliver – June 2018
President at Barnstaple Branch
Peter Simmonds – August 2018
Former Boatbuilder at the Inshore Lifeboat Centre
Peter Thorpe – May 2018
Former Mechanic at Humber Lifeboat Station
Ken Wilson – September 2018
Former Crew Member at Peel Lifeboat Station

Words: Nikki McMullen. Photos: Starlight Children’s Foundation, RNLI/(Karen Cox, Martin Macnamara, Tracy Newman)