 newid. The next item of business is a member's business debate in motion 1595 in the name of Liam MacArthur on the 50th anniversary of the long-hope lifeboat disaster. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. Can I ask those members who wish to speak in the debate to press the request-to-speak buttons now, and I call on Liam MacArthur to open the debate. Mr MacArthur, please. Richard Patrick Coxin, James Johnson, Second Coxin, Richard Patrick Bowman, Robert B Johnson, Mechanic, Jimmy Swanson, Assistant Mechanic, Jacker Patrick, Robbie Johnson, Eric McFadden, Lifeboat Men. Those are the names of the eight men who punished when the long-hope lifeboat TGB capsized in high winds and heavy seas in the Pentlands Firth on the night of 17 March 1969. Fifty years on and neither the significance nor poignancy of that tragic event have diminished. In seven minutes it's not possible to do justice to what happened or the bravery of those who lost their lives that night. But it's right that Parliament has an opportunity to mark this anniversary and pay tribute to Dan Kirkpatrick and his crew. I'm grateful therefore to the many MSPs from all parties who signed my motion, allowing the debate to take place and to those colleagues who are in the chamber this afternoon. Of course, there have been many tragic events where the loss of life has been considerably greater, yet the fact that those eight men died in the selfless act of trying to save others helps to explain, I think, why it had and continues to have such a profound impact on the public consciousness. It would be to do a disservice to the memory of Dan Kirkpatrick and his crew to focus today solely on what happened that fateful night. They all, of course, had lives beyond the involvement with the RNLI, but even in this their wider achievements deserve recognition. This was a crew that had shown its worth, proved its metal over the years, saving many lives and receiving numerous awards for bravery. Indeed, the week following the disaster, Dan Kirkpatrick had been due to travel to London to receive the RNLI silver clasp for the bravest act of life-saving in 1968, acknowledging heroics that he and his crew performed in saving 15 men aboard the Grimsby trawler Ross Puma. That was their third such honour. He would have vigorously rejected any such suggestion, but Dan Kirkpatrick was something of a celebrity. As well as the RNLI silver medal in clasps, he received a British Empire medal and even appeared on This Is Your Life with Amon Andrews in 1963, all a far cry from the events of Monday, 17 March 1969. The life boat was launched just before 8 p.m. in response to a call from help for help from the Liberian cargo ship SS Irini. It was reported to be in difficult east of Orkney, apparently out of control, drifting in a south-easterly force nine gale that had been blowing for days, creating mountainous waves of up to 60 feet. As it turned out, the stricken vessels to run aground at Grimnys on South Ronsley, where the crew of 17 were brought safely to show by the Brocknys and Dyrnys coastguard teams, was a textbook rescue by Breaches Boy, for which those involved were later honoured. Yet amid the relief, there was growing anxiety about the fate of the Long Hope Lifeboat. She was spotted by the Pentland Skerries lighthouse keepers around 9.30 p.m., but radio contact with GGB had been lost an hour or so after she launched. As those onshore clung evermore desperately to the hope that this was just a radio fault, a massive air, sea and land search operation got underway. That continued all through the night and into the following day, when shortly after 1 p.m., the Thurzo Lifeboat sent word that it had found the upturned TGB four miles west of Tornes in Hwy. Precisely what happened will never be known, but a fatal accident inquiry in June 69 had evidence that it was likely that the mountainous seas broke two of the windows at the front of the wheelhouse, allowing water to rush in, sweeping the coxswain from the wheel and so losing control of the boat, which then went broadside to the sea and capsized. The vessel was towed to Scrabster Harbour where it was righted and the bodies of Dan Capatric and six of his crew were retrieved. Sadly, James Swanson's body was never recovered. Needless to say, expressions of sympathy, condolence and support were quick to flood in from all over the country and all parts of the globe. An appeal fund for the family soon exceeded £100,000, while the funeral and memorial services in Long Hope and St Magnus Cathedral drew thousands of mourners and well-wishers. Yet, as the Orcherian reported, the whole of Orkney sorrows over this terrible calamity, but only in Brims itself and Long Hope can the utter tragedy of it be felt. Brims is a small township at the time numbering 30 people, such a catastrophic loss at a stroke of a quarter of the population is quite unimaginable. More than that, the eight men who lost their lives included two fathers, each with two sons aboard, prompting the local MP Joe Griman to question whether the Arnalai should be allowing fathers and their sons to be going out in the same life boat on such operations. All told, the community of Brims was left with seven window widows and 10 fatherless children. However, as Howard Hazel explains in a fascinating account of events, there was no recrimination or bitterness from anyone who had lost their menfolk. He quotes Margaret Kirkpatrick, married to Dan for 29 years, who said, I have no regret about the boat being lost on its way to help others, because that's why it was there, adding I'm happy that the lives of the crew of the irony were saved. Margaret was named Scotswoman of the Year at a ceremony in Glasgow later that year. Her sentiments were once shared by the rest of the community in Brims and Long Hope, who were anxious to see the lifeboat replaced without delay. When that happened, albeit on a temporary basis initially, in August 1970, local lifeboat secretary Jackie Grote said, the arrival of another boat is what we've been working and waiting for. It is already bringing a new outlook to the community and a much-needed uplift. With no lifeboat here, we have felt something vital missing in our midst. Fast forward 50 years, now fitting that Kevin Kirkpatrick should be carrying the mantle of coxing, I'm in no doubt at all that his grandfather Dan and his father and uncle would be proud beyond belief. It just so happens that Kevin's wife Karen, like her husband, also lost her grandfather, father and uncle in the tragedy. Perhaps unsurprisingly, their son Jack and daughter Stella are crew members in Kirkwall and Long Hope respectively. It is clearly in the blood. Looking ahead to the commemorations this weekend, it will be an opportunity to reflect, pay tribute and give thanks. As Kevin Kirkpatrick says, what happened that night is part of our history. We want to mark the 50th anniversary as we want to remember them, probably in a quiet way, as that is normally the way we do it. Ahead of those commemorations, I'm delighted that the Long Hope Lifeboat museum has been refurbished, following a remarkable public response to an appeal for the nations. It really is a wonderful facility. 17 months after the fatal capsizing, as TGB returned to service and counted on it all, a memorial to the eight men who lost their lives was unveiled by the Queen Mother. At the ceremony, Reverend Ewan Traill spoke powerfully of the disaster and its victims. Those men were not saints, he said, but essentially they were good men. They had qualities that constituted greatness. As a crew, they were unsurpassed anywhere in the world for efficiency, judgment, for loyalty and for courage. Inscribed on the base of the memorial, in other words, greater love has no man than this, that he lays down his life for his fellow men. They were truly the heroes of Long Hope. I'm pleased that Parliament has a chance to honour them today and look forward to the contributions of colleagues. Thank you very much, Mr McArthur. I remind all members who wish to speak, to press their request to speak buttons now, Ms Grant. Colin Morrin, what do we follow by Jamie Halcro Johnston? Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Can I thank Liam McArthur for submitting the motion and raising it today as members' business? As soon as I saw it, I wanted to speak in this debate. I remember it very well. I remember all the media sources in our house being on for any update about this tragedy. That was because my uncle, and I think that his job title would have been chief engineer of the RNLI. His job was to go around all the lifeboat stations in the northern half of Scotland to check their sea worthiness and, I suppose, to give them regular services. He knew all the lifeboat men and he knew them particularly well as an Orkney man himself, with a name like Alec Cursiter. It was obvious that he was an Orkney man indeed from strongness. I remember, as I say, us listening to any update that we could get about the long-hope lifeboat disaster. I remember my uncle being very badly affected by it, because he knew all the crew very well as he was born and brought up in Orkney himself, although he lived in Aberdeen at the time. However, he had to dash up there. I remember seeing him on the television quite a few hours after the tragedy, while people were waiting for news and to see what had happened to the lifeboat. As Liam McArthur said, there has been a long-hope lifeboat in Orkney since 1874 and was replaced very quickly thereafter. So many members of the community of brims were affected by it. It was shortly afterwards, within the year, that there was a similar disaster at Fraserborough. The Fraserborough lifeboat was lost in one wintery January morning. It was responding to a call to go assistance to a Danish fishing vessel. It seems that the same thing happened with that one. Of course, both those tragedies led to the fact that the design of the lifeboats was changed shortly afterwards, so that there were now self-writing vessels and, fortunately, the RNLI and lifeboat disasters have gone down significantly since then. However, it is unfortunate that both disasters had to lead to new vessels being designed. It is important to remember that lifeboats and the RNLI is a voluntary organisation. I take my hat off to all those people who are prepared to put their lives at risk in the pursuit of helping others. I think that we should never forget that and donate to the RNLI when we can. Thank you very much. I call Jamie Halcro Johnston to be followed by Rhoda Grant. Mr Halcro Johnston, please. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you to Liam McArthur for bringing this motion debate to Parliament, which is something of great poedency for our islands. On 17 March 1969, if you looked out across the Penland Firth, you would see a broad straight that had for several days been batted by gales, slashed by heavy rain and seen snow held across it by the winds. My home in Orkney overlooks the island of Hoy with long hope tucked behind. I have seen often how changeable the environment can be, the tides are amongst the fastest and strongest anywhere on earth. That energy, which today we look to harness as a power source, makes it an exploitable climate for seafarers. That night, the lifeboatman who sat out to assist another vessel, the Irene, did not come home. Their boat was a wooden construction much different to the lifeboats of today. Their vessels were strong but, as has been mentioned, unlike many modern lifeboats, they couldn't self-right when they found themselves capsized. Visibility was virtually nil, the waves were 60ft high. As day broke, lifeboats from Kirkwall, Stronsie, Stromnes and Thurzo searched the scene. The bodies of all but one of the long hopes lifeboatmen were recovered, still with their boat. The eighth, James Swanson, was never found, and the islands mourned. We see among the names of those eight men lost, three Johnstons, James Robert and three Kirkpatrick, Dan, Jack and Ray. Eric McFadden was the final name among the dead. Orkney is a small place, and tragedies like this are felt not just in the homes and in the streets but across our islands. For these two families, the tragedy must have been hardly bearable. Brims, that small community on high, mentioned by Liam McArthur, where the lifeboat was launched, has seen its population decimated. You still find the relatives of these men still faithfully serving the RNLI and Orkney. Another Kirkpatrick, Kevin, serves as coxswain at the Longhove lifeboat station. He lost his father, grandfather and uncle that night. But, as he says, being in the lifeboat is a way of life. It is in us, it is in my blood. My home in Orkney overlooks Scapa Flow, and the flow is one of the great, world's great natural harbours. When bad weather threatens, it is a refuge for some of even the largest boats in the world. Because if you stand on the cliffs at Yesnaby or you travel to the south isles in a storm, you'll understand just how ferocious the seas around Orkney can be. No one who lives in an island community like Orkney needs to be persuaded of the importance of the RNLI. It is part and parcel of the heritage of the islands, and touches so many of us directly. When I was young, my mother chaired the local ladies' lifeboat guild, so from an early age I helped fundraising efforts to support the lifeboat's work in Orkney, but more importantly I learned of the commitment of those men, of their sacrifice and of their bravery. We recognise that bravery of these men today, not just on that ill-fated voyage, but for every other launch where they put their lives in danger to help and rescue others. It was not the first night that the long-hope lifeboat crew were far from home amongst challenging weather conditions, nor was it the last, because still today the lifeboat remains at Long Hope, well over two centuries since it was inaugurated, still facing those same conditions that over the centuries Orkadian lifeboat crews have battled again and again. Outside of Orkney, lifeboat stations can be found at many other coastal and island communities across the Bridges Isles. They too have a long heritage, as has been mentioned, and a fair share of tragedies between them. Still those brave men and women, self-funded, mostly volunteers, venture out, facing down grave risks simply to help others. They share their successes, and when tragedy hits, they mourn together. It is fitting that, to mark this 50th anniversary, the R&L life flag will fly at half a mast at the organisation's headquarters in Poole. It will also be lowered at lifeboat stations around the country. However, as always, they will remain on call, ready to respond, as they have for centuries. That is the most fitting tribute to those eight men from Orkney who did not come home. I, too, would like to congratulate Liam McArthur on securing this debate and his moving tribute to him today in the Parliament. It is an issue that he has brought to the attention of the Parliament on a number of times, and it is fitting that he marks the 50th anniversary here, too. The disaster-devastated hoy, and especially the small community of brims, that experienced such a great loss. Eight people lost to a small community. Not only creates heartbreak, but it can also break a community, too. The people that were lost were not only essential to their community for their work on the lifeboat. They had other roles to fulfil. To lose a quarter of their community in one night is difficult to come back from, and it is a testament to the strength of those who remained, who have supported the families and gone on to provide a fitting tribute to those lost. Personal loss was enormous, too, as we have heard. To lose one family member is tragic. To lose generations is unimaginable. The events around the tragedy are well known. As others have said, the crew of the TGB did what lifeboat crews do, and they responded to a call from help from the iron. There was a storm, and the iron was adrift in the Pentland Firth, a notoriously dangerous stretch of water. The conditions were atrocious, and on the way home, the lifeboat cup sized. It is not altogether clear what happened, because all hands were lost. The tragedy brings home to us the sacrifice made by those who provide voluntary emergency services. Lifeboat crews and, indeed, mountain rescue teams are very similar, given the dangers that they face, doing what is largely voluntary work. They love the sea or the mountains, and that motivates them to do that. Since the tragedy, lifeboats have been developed to be self-writing, as Maureen Watt said. Therefore, if they do cup size, they will write themselves. Those in them have a better chance of survival. That makes their life-saving work a little safer for them, however it remains extremely dangerous. Trying to get close to other vessels in high seas, to be out on deck in conditions that are perilous, are still putting their own lives at risk. Therefore, it is right that we mark that sacrifice with this debate, not just for those lost on the TGB, but for all those who have lost their lives trying to save others. I would also like to pay tribute to the work of the community in Orkney, who have more than achieved their target for maintenance and repair of the Long Hope Lifeboat Museum. That is a memorial to the crew of the TGB and other brave lifeboat crews. That is a lot more than the community had to raise to establish the museum originally, but they have achieved it. There is also a memorial in the cemetery among the graves of those who died that night. As Leigh MacArthur said, the TGB itself was recovered and towed to Scrabster by another crew. I can only imagine how they felt while their recovered crew and boats as part of their normal activities, doing this for your own, must be very difficult. It also seems strange to me and it is difficult to contemplate that the TGB returned to service in Ireland. I wonder how the lifeboat crews felt sailing her. That said, she continued to provide a life-saving service and is now in the Scottish Mattertown Museum in Irvine. The tragedy led to the RNLI introducing self-writing lifeboats, which means that those lives were not lost in vain. I am sure that many lives were saved as a result of this development in the design of boats. However, we must never forget the risks that those crews continue to face and use this debate to thank them for that, to thank all those who volunteered to save lives in very dangerous circumstances. Thank you very much. I call John Finnie to be followed by Donald Cameron. Mr Cameron will be the last speaker in the open debate. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. As the customer, I congratulate Leigh MacArthur on bringing this motion, particularly in the very fine speech, which was a fitting tribute to the community that he is the constituency member for. I was 12 years old when the disaster occurred in living in rural Lechabur. Lots of communities had disasters. I recall a multiple fatal accident involving north-east fishermen returning where that had a significant impact on the communities there. I also recall the community grief when police officers, Detective Sergeant Aaron Lumsden and Constable Ian Ritchie, were killed in the Caledonian canal. They were part of the volunteer, then Inverness Borough Police sub-aqua team, searching in the canal locks for a missing person and both officers were trapped and lost in life. It was only a matter of four months later, on 17 March 1969, that the long-club disaster occurred. Many people have very vividly outlined the circumstances of that, capsizing and going to the aid of the Liberian vessel and the entire crew losing their lives. Communities deal with tragedies in different ways, and of course there would be a lot of people affected by that. I wasn't aware until speaking to Linda, a member of my staff, her father-in-law, Ian Williamson, was the policeman there. The medical profession would have had, the Coast Guard would have been looted to it. It would have had far-ranging effects. In earlier this year, we had the centenar of the Isle Air disaster that was talked of in here, and much comment was about how the communities in Lewis and Harris dealt with that grief, they dealt with it by not talking about it. However, what was apparent and will be the same, of course, in Orkney, is that communities will never be the same again. Looking at the weather conditions, a number of members have alluded to that, the force nine gale, the near zero visibility, the spring tide resulting in waves over 60ft high. That is something that I remember reflecting on, two and a half times the heightier house. That is an astonishing statistic. People have talked about one of the positive outcomes that came, which was the design change that saw the vessels being self-writing. A big fan of the Canadian folk musician, Gordon Lightfoot, and people may be familiar with the song of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, who talked about a similar tragedy in the Great Lakes, much celebrated. At his concert, he has often said how many vessels perished that year, and the reality is that there were 48 ships lost that year. The importance of one being remembered by that song is that we have a unique situation in which the community will not allow the circumstances of the loss to be forgotten. More in what talked about keeping abreast of the news, and, of course, people might struggle to understand that there is no flow of news that there is now, and it would be radio and television to a lesser extent and newspapers. It is important to say that we occupy islands off the coast of continental Europe. There are many treacherous waters that have been alluded to, and none more treacherous than the Pentland Firth, which is why it is sought to be harnessed. We do indeed volunteer both on sea and on land to support that, and I am sure that those who have lost their lives would be very proud of their descendants and continue to do that. I spoke up in a household that placed great significance in helping others and valued public service and efforts for the common good. The men at long hope, and their successors in the RNLI, both there and everywhere else, display to my mind all that is best about humanity. Their legacy lives on, and I thank, again, Orkney's constituency MSP, Liam McArthur, for giving Parliament an opportunity to remember that sacrifice. The tragic loss of life, that community loss, will not be forgotten. I thank Liam McArthur for bringing this debate forward. I, too, would like to pay my respects to those men who lost their lives in March 1969. My thoughts go to their descendants and, indeed, to the community of Brims in Longhope on the island of Hoi. They say that time is a healer, but many local communities who experience such tragedies never quite heal. Having seen the heartfelt commemorations in Lewis recently, as John Finnie mentioned, for the Islay tragedy, it is abundantly clear that no community ever truly recovers from such a tragedy. However distant in the past, and tightening it, island and coastal communities in particular seem especially affected. As Liam McArthur may know, I stood as a candidate in the 2015 election in Orkney and Shetland, unsuccessfully, clearly. However, in that campaign, it was brought home to me how important the sea was in Orkney. It may be an obvious point to make, but travelling across the islands and speaking to locals, whether they worked offshore in oil and gas or if they were part of the fishing fleet or, indeed, were in the lifeboat, on-called going out to potentially save lives, the sea was very much part of their life and the sea clearly poses dangers as well as many rewards. I would like to join others in paying tribute to those who do work on our seas and in the context of this debate for the RNLI, the thousands of volunteers who volunteer with the RNLI. I think that the lifeboat crews provide plainly a 24-hour rescue service in the UK, and they have saved over 142,000 lives since 1824. They also provide education to local communities. Community safety teams of the RNLI explain the risks and share safety knowledge with anyone going out to sea or to the coast, and they help to support people around the world to prevent drowning in areas where there is a high risk. I am sure that many of us, all of us, when we are out and about in local communities, will find that it is rare that we do not see an RNLI sticker on a car, window or on someone's door, such as the public support for the RNLI, and it is important, as Maureen Watt said, that we support this terrific organisation in any way that we can. Maureen Watt mentioned that, following the disaster, it was heartening to learn that one of the lessons learned was to develop self-writing lifeboats, which prevented loss of life in 1979, when two vessels from Barra and Islay, respectively, were deployed to respond to a merge. They both capsized only to successfully write again with no loss of life to the crew. Like all maritime disasters, it is right and fitting that we remember those who put their lives at risk. I was very moved by the fact that, as Liam McArthur said in his speech, the grandson of one of the people who perished now works and volunteers for the lifeboat crew. I am delighted to hear that the descendants of the eight crewmen or some of the descendants will remember them by playing the song The Heroes of Long Hope at the Commemoration. What a fitting tribute in my view. I thank Liam McArthur again for bringing this debate to the four, to allow MSPs across the chamber to join with the community of Brims in Huy and to remember those courageous men who were so sadly taken away. Let me begin by joining members who have congratulated Liam McArthur for bringing his debate to the chamber, because it is entirely fitting that Scotland's Parliament should set aside time to reflect on the night of 17 March 1969 and the Long Hope Tragedyne. Alongside that, we have an opportunity to highlight the heroism of the crews of the RNLI. I pay tribute to Mr McArthur for his opening speech and others for their thoughtful contributions. The 50th anniversary of that dreadful tragedy in which eight men lost their lives were trying to save the crew of the SS Irene, Coxson, Daniel Kirkpatrick, second Coxson, James Johnson, Bowman Ray Kirkpatrick, mechanic Robert Johnson, assistant mechanic James Swanson and crewman Jack Kirkpatrick, Robert Johnson and Eric McFadgin. It serves to remind us all of the price that has been paid by our coastal communities, helping seafarers in peril, because it is from the ranks of ordinary men and women living in communities dotted around the coastline that the RNLI crews are drawn from. It is a hugely laudable and frankly staggering statistic that over the 195 years since the formation of the national institution for the preservation of life from shipwreck as it was originally titled, the RNLI has, as Donald Cameron highlighted, saved over 142,000 lives. Alongside that sits the sobering stat that 778 crew have paid the ultimate price while seeking to rescue those fellow mariners. Behind that second figure lies so many tragedies that have devastated the communities that crewed the lifeboats concerned, more in what reminded us of the Fraserborough lifeboat disaster. My constituency was touched by another such event, the loss 65 years ago of the Robert Lindsay, based in Arbroath, as it returned to Harbour from a rescue mission. Six crew perished, the tragedy remains woven into the fabric of the port, indeed the county, and so too the tiny 30 strong community of Brims and Longhope, which suffered the loss of a quarter of its population with the cap-sizing of the TGB in 1969. What made the Longhope tragedy particularly awful was the close and lasting family connections within the crew. As we have heard, there will be a commemoration of the tragedy on Sunday 17 March at the Longhope Bay Museum. As Liam McArthur revealed, the organisation of the commemoration has been wed by Kevin Kirkpatrick, coxman of the current Longhope lifeboat, who lost his father, his uncle and grandfather on the night of the tragedy. Kevin's wife Karen, of course, lost her, grandfather, father and uncle, and two families, as well as a small community, left utterly, unimaginatively devastated. The RNLI calls its crew members ordinary people who do extraordinary things. They are right. When conditions are of a tight, most of us would retreat from them. The RNLI crews head straight into them because someone is in peril, someone needs help. The comparisons with mountain rescue services that Rhoda Grant drew and perhaps Scottish fire and rescue are obvious. That was reinforced for me last year when I joined the current Arborod Lifeboat crew for a joint training exercise with the local fire and rescue. Two different emergency services, but with a degree of commonality around the circumstances in which they are so often called into action. Presiding Officer, like any charity, the RNLI is heavily dependent on fundraising and the nation. It is pleasing that Scottish Government officials have a long-lasting and continuing commitment to supporting an official civil service charity called the Communications and Public Service Lifeboat Fund. That started in 1866 when a handful of civil servants decided that they wanted to buy a lifeboat for the RNLI and raised the £300 that took them to do so. All the money that is raised by the Lifeboat Fund since has gone to help the RNLI's life-saving work. Down the years, the charity has supported the purchase of 53 lifeboats, as well as crew kit, lifeguard training and the refurbishing of lifeboat stations. The Public Service charity is the RNLI's longest-standing supporter. The Lifeboat Fund celebrated its 150th anniversary by raising £1.1 million for a Shannon-class lifeboat, the RNLI's latest design, with the efforts of the Scottish Government staff contributing more than any other single Government body. That has been followed by a new appeal that aims to reduce drowning in Scotland, the UK and overseas. Here in Scotland, children and young people are being helped to stay safe in and around water through a project in Fife, where RNLI lifeguarding has also been supported through the on-going appeal. The nature of the RNLI's role has evolved over its 195-year history, but the selflessness, the courage and the dedication that ran through the crew of the TGB when it set off that fateful day remains the characteristics demanded of crews today. In marking the 50th anniversary of the long-hope lifeboat disaster, as Liam McArthur has afforded us the opportunity to do today, what is acknowledged as a rhodigrant called on us to do? The enormous debt owed to those who put themselves at risk to assist seafarers in trouble around Scotland's mainland coast and islands. That concludes the debate, and I suspend this meeting of Parliament until 2.30.