I welcome to the gallery from Kinghorn lifeboat station Alan Mcllravie, operations manager; Joanne Wibberley, helm; Leanne Fisher, helm; Elizabeth Davidson, deputy launching authority; Charles Tulloch MBE, former operations manager, who served for more than 40 years; and Suzanne Gilfeather, who is the treasurer of Kinghorn community council.
Founded in 1824, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution has a long and fascinating life-saving history of which we should all be justifiably proud. The RNLI’s main purpose is to save lives at sea by providing on call a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service and a seasonal lifeguard service, with an ultimate vision of preventing loss of life at sea.
The first inshore lifeboat station in Scotland was established in Broughty Ferry 175 years ago, in 1840. The inshore rescue boat at Kinghorn was formally established on June 26 1965 and was very soon in action. On June 27—a memorable day in many respects: the legendary Jim Clark won the French grand prix—the lifeboat was called out. A catamaran with three crew found itself in difficulty passing close to Inchkeith island, and the station’s first service call took place. The rescue boat was manned by two men, one of whom was George Tulloch, the older brother of Charles Tulloch, who is in the gallery today and who helped to launch the rescue boat. Coincidentally, one of the men on the catamaran whom they set out to rescue that day was Charles’s twin brother, Gordon. Thankfully, the incident was resolved successfully for all concerned.
Since its inception 50 years ago, Kinghorn lifeboat station has played a vital role in helping people who are in difficulty in the surrounding waters. The new craft was initially housed in a wooden garage that was constructed on common ground behind what is now a sailing club. It is still there today and continues to be painted in the dark blue colour of the RNLI. Although most inshore boats were expected to have an operating area of a few miles, in those days, Kinghorn covered most of the Firth of Forth.
The station was manned by volunteers, as it is today, but conditions 50 years ago were less than favourable for the brave men who were called out to help people who were in distress. Initially, they went out in plastic trousers and plastic smocks with kapok-filled life jackets supplemented by oiled wool jerseys and woolly hats that were provided by the men themselves. That is not really adequate protection for getting into a boat or for the stormy seas that they often faced when they were called out.
The first boats, although very manoeuvrable, had little or no keel, which resulted in an uncomfortable and often painful ride for the volunteers, who were already soaked from launching the vessel. To add to the difficulties that they faced in the early days, the rescue boat did not have a radio and attempts to recall the boat in severe weather conditions through the use of flashing Aldis lamps were often unsuccessful. That was problematic for many years, and various alternatives were tried, including firing a green flare and another maroon one. When on exercise, the crew always remained in sight of Kinghorn beach because a white sheet would be hung out of a second-storey window if they needed to come ashore and be tasked with a rescue. Thankfully, more modern and up-to-date equipment makes it easier and safer for the crew when they are participating in exercises or helping people in distress.
One of my favourite stories is about the time when the inshore rescue boat set off from Kinghorn to help with the rescue of a stricken dinghy near Kirkcaldy—not by sea, but by road, towed by a crew member’s Land Rover. A police panda car was sent to the promenade in Kirkcaldy to escort the vehicle, but a crew member was not impressed with the progress that was being made. All of a sudden, the lifeboat overtook the police car, much to the consternation of the other crew members.
Lifeboat stations such as that at Kinghorn play a vital part in coastal communities, in protecting people in the area who use the sea for fishing and leisure activities, as well as in helping those who find themselves in trouble at sea while passing. I have cause to be thankful to the station: in the 1980s, my brother found himself in difficulty while at sea near Kinghorn and was grateful for the assistance that he received from Kinghorn lifeboat station.
The station is also committed to managing its impact on the environment and can be called upon to help to protect marine life. One such incident occurred when Alan McIlravie, the current operations manager, was part of an operation to assist marine biologists. Having had the sad task of towing the body of a beaked whale off the sand at Pettycur beach, the crew proceeded to Drum sands on the south side of the Forth, where they were instrumental in rescuing a dolphin, taking it into deep waters off Inchcolm and happily watching it head down the river to freedom.
The RNLI and the Kinghorn lifeboat station depend on volunteer crews, who are unpaid and are prepared to put their lives at risk to save others. That requires skill, courage and time. They are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and they often put out to sea in total darkness and terrifying conditions.
Although there were initially only male crews, there have been females at Kinghorn lifeboat station since the mid 1990s, three of whom are also in the gallery today. Women have demonstrated their ability to work alongside their male colleagues naturally and effortlessly, proving to be equal to them in any task that is assigned to them, and in some instances proving to be far better equipped to deal with some situations than their male counterparts.
In order for the men and women to do their job effectively, however, training and equipment are required on top of the annual running costs for the inshore lifeboat station at Kinghorn, which amount to £85,000 a year. Its work can be sustained only through the public’s generosity and the support that they provide through the variety of fundraising events that are organised in the community: £20 pounds can keep a lifeboat running at full speed for 10 minutes. Kinghorn RNLI station has close links with the local community, and in holding fundraising events in this, its 50th anniversary year, it is pushing the boat out with a year of events with a golden theme. It began the year with the golden loony dook. About 80 people took part and the event resulted in £620 being donated on the day, with further sponsorship expected to boost the total.
Other fundraising events have included volunteers swimming in the Forth to raise funds, venturing out of the boathouse as Stormy Stan, making pancakes and even being able to metamorphose into a witch for the spooky walk.
In its 50th anniversary year, I commend Kinghorn lifeboat station and all those who have given their time to serve as volunteer crew members or in another capacity, and those who have generously supported them in whatever way they could. The dedication of those who have served as crew members and those who have supported them has enabled the station to complete nearly 1,300 call-outs over the past 50 years and has saved about 389 lives.
In congratulating Kinghorn life station on its 50th anniversary, I reiterate that it is an organisation that truly serves the community and the surrounding area in so many different ways, so it is indeed deserving of the tremendous support that it has received over the years from the people of Kinghorn. I applaud not only the members of the station crew, but the people of Kinghorn for their efforts, and wish them well for the future.
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