 that John McArter has joined me in the studio, John, has just stepped down as Lifeboat Operations Manager. This is after 20 years of dedicated service and he's officially retired from his role with Loss Willie RNLA, sort of hung up his pager, but anyhow he's not fully gone as I think he's going to tell us now. John, anyhow, good afternoon, happy new year to you. The same to you John, many of them. Good to see you again, good to talk to you. We've talked down through the years about different fundraising events and so on. You've been involved in the RNLA in more ways than one for 20 years. I thought it was even longer. Well sometimes it is felt like that, but you know what has passed in a flash, John, I'm surprised when I look back on it, just probably how much water has flowed out of the bridge so to speak, but definitely it's just been a fairly long stretch, but a very enjoyable time really. And your roles within Loss Willie over the years would have been what? Well I suppose I came back to live in Bunkrana back about the mid-70s and I very quickly took up sailing there on Loss Willie and enjoyed the water and still do indeed, but as maybe as partly as a result of that I was approached there by the then Operations Manager and one of the crew to would I get involved in early 2002-3 that sort of time and they didn't want me to be, I was sort of past the real seagull in stage even then, so they asked me to become what you call a DLA or a deputy launching authority in the station management which looks after the overall operation. So I worked there in that role and very quickly, I suppose about a year into that I got unveiled into getting involved in fundraising as well and was part of a team that kind of pioneered what was then called clustering of the branches around in the Shown and Letter Kenney and Remelton and all here to work together on some projects and then work separately as well in their own areas. So that sort of pushed me into the fundraising area quite strongly and then a few years later my predecessor Liam McGee retired and I took on the operations as well and I suppose within the R&L I generally those two roles don't fall on to the same person but the way it evolved here is I had both of them and I've really enjoyed the connection that operations and fundraising have with each other and it's been great to be able to kind of develop it along that those lines although generally they're kept somewhat separated. Yeah because operations to me sounds like you know your hands-on making sure that the crew's in place for when they're needed and then you know getting them out whereas fundraising obviously is working away in the background through the year trying to raise money for equipment and training and so on. Yeah and that's very definitely the case and once I had to give the priority generally to operations but then you know since we're a totally voluntary organisation and we only exist at the behest of the generosity of the general public so raising the money is equally important because it is an expensive organisation to run and it never has ceased to amaze me that the absolute generosity and the esteem in which the R and L is held not only here and in a show and in Donegal are all over Ireland all over the British Isles where it exists and this year we're going to be 200 years old and we've always been in that kind of vein where there's no outside support it's all on the basis of what the what the general public feels about it and and donates to it that's not to take away at all from the huge job that the operations team do when they go to the the guys and girls that are involved in seagoing and will go with the at the drop or the drop of a hat around the pager goes not not regardless of whether but they do go out in some very difficult conditions because that's when largely when a lot of people get into bother yes I think it's only when when you do when you when become active on the water yourself and it could be something as simple as just going out in a kayak or it could be you know you do maybe a lot of sailing or you have a bigger boat or whatever it's only when you do that and then you're out maybe you know the weather is not as good as you had hoped for or then start you know things start to go through your head you know what what have I you know what have this cuts out or what have I don't make it in it's only then that it clicks what the vital role that the R and L I do and what you know and what they are the whole year round and and I suppose it's it's important just to remind people that you know okay our waterways mightn't be that busy at the moment but this is this is you know 12 months of the year 52 weeks of the year this is you know they are there when people get into difficulty on the water not just during the busy summer season although that's certainly true John and yes they the summer season spring and summer tend to be busier for us that's when you know a lot of people go on the water and all sorts of craft and they do some of the difficulties they get into are quite simple and you know people run out of fuel you know they get a rope around their prop or they get they get too far out from the edge of the water and can't get back but at least on a phone call we're there or we can be there I mean in Balcana there from from we operate two boats with an inshore I or inshore lifeboat at semi and semi-rigid inflatable that can can get on the water in about seven minutes from we get the call you know that the response time is very very quick or all whether boat usually takes a little bit longer but maybe ten minutes but the people are there the crew is on the way at that stage that's for bigger journeys for bigger journeys generally things that go off shore not always but its capability will we can go say a hundred miles out to sea and if needed most things happen within ten nautical miles of the coast but at least you know between between Port Rush and Arnmore and ourselves we sort of form a necklace around the Northwest here and between and we work in together whatever we have to do we are sort of patch I suppose would cover all of Lux Willy some of the locks either side of it take us out about Tory Island in the West and over towards the mouth of the foil in the East so we've quite a big patch to cover there and with the two boats and the combination we can look after that reasonably well so depending where you are if you get into difficulty and you make that distress call then you know they there's a there's an office or a manager somewhere that decides okay Arnmore's closest so we'll send Arnmore out or ask Arnmore can they go out to that yeah I mean for us that's Mallon Head Rescue Centre Mallon Head Coast Guard the the emergency calls are we would ask everybody to you know never hesitate to make the call if you see something that looks like difficulty call them call 999 and and ask for the Coast Guard and they will then coordinate us as one of the emergency services but helicopters ambulances guard whatever so the beauty is that it's all coordinated through Mallon Head why is it not state funded I mean if you you know if you're into an accident and you call 999 and an ambulance comes out that's state funded you know why would it not be the same on on the water well it's probably a question a way above my pay grade is the same but you know as I mentioned earlier there we're 200 years in operation this year and Sir William Hillary founded the operation in the Isle of Man in 1824 they all they founded it on the goodwill of people and it has remained that way and I suppose one of the things that that does is it gives a great independence of operation to the organization not know they're not high bound by politics or anything else and for fortunately the the general public have always taken the iron alive very close to their heart and and and looked after it and funded it through generosity both during their lives and after their lives are over for a great source of the money we have comes from people who have finished their lives and left us considerable donations in their in their worlds and it's that's a very easy way to contribute it well I mean what in one way in one way it is yeah but not that doesn't take away from the huge effort that the communities and branches around the country here raise fundraising efforts and as they say put the fun into fundraising and run amazing events to look after us but then here we have a lot of people who work you know almost alone in their own community organizations who raise money and want to raise it for us on our behalf which is greatest and that money that money is vital because there's there's no point in sending a boat out to an emergency that breaks down there's no point in sending a crew out with you know shoddy life jackets or equipment no I mean that I mean we're we're we as an institution or as an organization are asking our volunteers of which is the 95% of our people are volunteers and we're asking them to put their lives on the line 52 weeks a year 24 hours a day at the call of the pager they'll go that there's never any question in their head and it's our it's the institutions obligation really and I wish to give them the best training and the best equipment that we can give them so that they go there properly equipped against weather and and water and everything else and our and also very importantly in the modern all-weather lifeboats Shannon class that we have here in in a shown and they're now several of them around the country but we were we were have the we were fortunate enough to have the first of them in Ireland but these boats are very very well built they've they're technologically very very advanced but the comfort in them for the crew is is exceptional the seats are extremely well sprung and so forth so that when a person or when a crew arrives at an incident that they may have been four or five hours at sea getting there they'll arrive fresh and able to work in difficult conditions to bring people safely home so that there's a huge investment goes into making that happen a Shannon class lifeboat today is about nearly just short of three million to put on the water it's a huge amount of money but it's go it goes to preserve the people who travel in it and enable them to get there and get the job they have to do and then it's to keep the lifeboat the lifeboat station is maintained and all the equipment maintained so it's not just about they get the equipment in the first place or about the training so yeah and you know understand where the money goes and people so you know when you talk in millions people wonder where they put in a few bob in a box or they're doing where how does that help but like that a pair of gloves or 12 euro a pair of water rubber boots or 30 odd euro so everything counts you know every penny counts at the end of the day has it has it changed much over the 20 years I suppose it has in some ways it has and other ways it hasn't the ethos and the behind it is still the same and the people that they're they don't join the R&L I without thinking it's a job well worth doing and they they get the people get dedicated and are dedicated to go into sea to save life that's ours our mission is very simple we save lives at sea and everything that we do works towards that but I suppose that again the level of equipment and sophistication we work with is ever changing ever getting more technically competent and better aids with it the I suppose another thing that has grown about you know like the paperwork etc. changes we've we've got to keep very very careful records these days and all of that we do but and overall sense at the the overall job doesn't change all that much it's still going to see people going to see in boats to help others and we use all the modern convenience and convenience to the needs that we can to make that happen so so what about you and the R&L I now I mean is is that you've stepped down and from your role as operations manager but you know are you gone gone or are you still going to be around just for a bit of advice or a guidance or because 20 years is a lot of experience well well yeah and you know it's it's the they well they aren't at the institution says when you reach 70 years of age you should be thinking of standing down that's that's fair enough I have reached that point there last year and I thought that that's fair enough that's that's the time to pass this on but the R&L is as we often research referred to ourselves as a family and it's a family I never really want to leave and I would I felt well I'm quite happy to pass on the somewhat onerous responsibilities I do want to be I'm quite happy to be remain with it and be part of it as long as I can be and they asked me back there to a crew meeting last night to present some certificates that for casualty care and at the same time they they they asked me to become chairman of the the lifeboat management group which is a somewhat onerate position but at least it will keep me in contact it allows me to be available to my successor as and when that that successor comes or or anybody else that's there for for whatever advice and experience I can bring to it and I'm very happy to do that and I mean I do with our own station and every everybody in the institution every success in the future because it is a huge the valuable organization one that I have really enjoyed been part of and it has taken a huge chunk of my life or been part of a huge chunk of my own life and really well worthwhile and rewarding to be there and I've met so many wonderful people both in the organization in our own crew all around the community where we've raised money and made friends all sorts of places and it's it's it's just a wonderful thing to be part of well I don't think you could give up 20 years if you're left to volunteering whatever sort it would be if you didn't like it and you seem to have enjoyed it but also you know I would think that your your contribution has been immense over that 20 years and not just in fundraising but also in operations I wish you the best in retirement you know from from this role and and in your future contributions whatever there will be with they are in a lay and and thanks for coming in for a chat today well John I'm delighted to have been able to do it to be to be here today and I'd also like to thank you and all the folks here in Highland for all the help you've given us and airtime you've given us give made people aware of what we do about our fundraising events and things you've always been hugely supportive of us and I'm really delighted for that and it's as we call ourselves we're one crew but we're all one community up here in Donegal and we love to help each other and that's the way it should be and I hope it goes on that way. John McArthur thank you. Thank you.