ONE half of a couple of long-serving volunteers has received a special medal marking two decades of service with Dunbar RNLI.

More than a dozen volunteers with the life-saving charity gathered at the Harbour Chapel – just 150m from the town’s lifeboat station – earlier this month when Coronation Medals were presented to crew members with five years' or more service, and framed vellum certificates were handed to former crew members who served 10 years or more.

Gordon Kirkham, a mechanic on the all-weather lifeboat and helm on the inshore lifeboat, was delighted to receive the honour and stressed that, despite his long service, he was “still learning” and was currently training to become coxswain.

The 44-year-old’s first involvement with Dunbar RNLI came in 1996, aged 16, on the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme.

As a leading sea cadet, he attended the naming ceremony of the station’s original Trent class lifeboat Sir Ronald Pechell BT, presenting the family whose donation helped fund the vessel with a commemorative gift.

After a few years away, Gordon returned to Dunbar and rejoined the crew, becoming mechanic two years later and helm in 2013.

Gordon’s wife Laura is the longest-serving female crew member with 18 years’ service.

Gordon Kirkham (left), receiving his 20-year service medal, and wife Laura, receiving her Coronation Medal, are congratulated by Lord Lieutenant Roderick Urquhart (Image: Dunbar RNLI)

The couple met while working together at Belhaven Brewery and, when Laura became a volunteer, Gordon revealed that certain rules were laid down.

He said: “There were concerns about us being on the boat together and what would happen if we broke up.

“It was a bit of pressure on an early relationship!

“Thankfully, we haven’t had any major issues.

“It’s a bit unusual for a married couple to be on the crew.

“Some couples go hill-walking in their free time, we go out to sea in a lifeboat.”

Gordon, who works as an emergency plan instructor at Torness Power Station, recalled a memorable early incident when local excitement at the lifeboat returning to the harbour nearly ended in tragedy.

He said: “We were towing a boat back from a callout and people wanted to see what was going on.

“The inshore [lifeboat] had departed for the Broad Haven when a young boy came cycling down to see what happened, hit a mooring line and he and his bike went into the harbour.

“Gary Fairbairn, our current coxswain, jumped in after him and managed to keep him afloat until the lifeboat came back round.

“The boy made a full recovery – but Gary was told he would have to pay for a replacement pager that was still in his pocket!”

Gordon highlighted that there had been plenty of different callouts over the years, ranging from helping an uncommunicative autistic teenage girl, who was becoming cut off by the tide, to assisting a man who had suffered blisters on his feet after standing on sand heated by a barbecue.

He added: “I remember carrying him over the water to the boat delighted that he wasn’t heavy!

“Rough seas I can take for granted, I’m quite comfortable in that situation, but it’s the medical jobs that stick in my head the most because, without us being there, the situation could be so much worse.”

Presenting the awards was Roderick Urquhart, Lord Lieutenant for East Lothian; accompanied by Kate Darrah, Deputy Lieutenant; and Lord Lieutenant cadet Lance Corporal Maia Babtie, of 16 Troup Dunbar Lothian and Borders Army Cadet Force.

The Lord Lieutenant said: “The RNLI is a revered life-saving organisation, manned by volunteers whose sole aim is to save everyone in danger in the sea – and in so doing you ooze passion, talent and kindness.”

As well as collecting his 20-year medal, Gordon also received a Coronation Medal.

These were also presented to Alan Blair, Gary Fairbairn, Andrzej Hajduk, Laura Kirkham, David Koch, Adrian Lavery, Gordon Mackay, Iain McDougall, Gerard McPhillips, Rebecca Miller, Alistair Punton, Douglas Wight, Ian Wilson and Chris Woods and, in their absence, to Dave Anderson, John-Robert Eunson, Jamie Forrester, Denholm Horsburgh, Allan Ross and Henry Weaver, and to medics Neil Black and Rob Campbell.

Certificates of Service vellums were presented to Elspeth Haston (for 11 years’ service), Ross McMullen (20 years’ service) and Kenny Peters (17 years’ service) and, in their absence, to Kevin Keillor, David Kittrick Snr and David Kittrick Jnr.

A letter of thanks was also issued, in his absence, to Kevan Jamieson, who was also awarded a Coronation Medal.

Mark Lees, Dunbar Lifeboat Station chairman, praised the work of all the volunteers – those at sea and those on dry land.

He said: “Tonight is all about the crew who go out protecting life in the community but they wouldn’t be able to do any of that without the support they get from the fundraising committee and the shop volunteers.”