Saving Lives in Burry Port

Enfys Tanner talks to helmsman Gary Morgan as the Burry Port lifeboat marks its 50th anniversary.

Last year Burry Port Lifeboat celebrated its half-centenary since it was established in 1974. I had a chat with Gary Morgan, a member of St Mary's Church Burry Port, who has been a volunteer with the lifeboat for 34 years. Luke, his eldest son, is now also a member of the crew and works full-time for the Lifeboat Service.

Gary is a Helmsman, a lifeboat training assessor, a training coordinator and a driver and is authorised to launch the boat. There are two lifeboats in Burry Port and around 15 crew members who are all volunteers. The boat cannot be launched without a Helmsman and a grade 2 crew. They train every Tuesday night and every other Sunday morning. Almost all the volunteers work outside Burry Port and it is sometimes difficult to gather a crew together quickly. In an emergency, it is therefore necessary to call out the Tenby lifeboat which has 2 full-time crews and is an all-weather lifeboat.

The training includes pulling, search patterns, reversing and working in conjunction with a helicopter. They are called out about 60 times a year, but they had received 11 calls the previous weekend. The reasons range from people being caught out by the tide, surfers in trouble, machines breaking down, someone going out too far on a child's boat, and some more difficult cases like people threatening to take their own lives. Two years ago there were four cases of people drowning in a single year.

The boats have changed since Gary started. In 1991, the boat only had a radio, an engine, an anchor and oars. Now there is a radio, GPS, oxygen, a first aid kit, a direction finder, and all members have their own helmets and kit. In the past they had to share!

Is Gary scared when going out to sea? Yes, sometimes when the weather is stormy. A decision has to be made even after the boat has been launched - does the situation pose excessive danger to the crew? And the emotions? A rush of adrenaline, apprehension of the unknown, and surprise at people's carelessness. Teamwork is essential for everyone's safety. The response of those rescued varies – embarrassment, dissatisfaction but usually immense gratitude.

And what about Gary's faith? Often he will have a little word with the Almighty before setting out. This gives him inner strength and calms his fears.

Thank you Gary and all other lifeboat members for their bravery.