Four members of Port Isaac RNLI have received medals for their long service with the lifesaving charity.  

Trevor Beare, Andy Cameron, John Collins and Richard Hambly have been celebrating a combined 150 years of service with Port Isaac RNLI Lifeboat Station. 

Trevor Beare joined Port Isaac RNLI as a volunteer crew member in 1972. He served on the branch’s first inshore lifeboat D-139. He recalls that Port Isaac were the first station with an ILB to train with the RAF Search and Rescue helicopter. They used to take the lifeboat up to Clovelly to join the 70-foot Clyde-class lifeboat and train with the Western Whirlwind Search and Rescue (SAR) based at RAF St Mawgan. Trevor went on to train with the Wessex SAR and then the Sea King. He retired from crew in the late 80s to become the station’s training officer and then onto shore crew after that. 

Thirteen years later in 1985, Richard Hambly joined the team aged 19 and progressed to become a helmsman a couple of years later. More recently, Richard has become one of the station’s Launching Authorities. In 2004, as the longest serving helm on the crew, Richard represented Port Isaac at the opening of the RNLI Training Centre at Poole by HM The Queen, one of his proudest RNLI moments. In 2019, Richard was part of the local RNLI team that ran the Virgin London Marathon, raising more than £10,000 towards the appeal to fund the station’s new D class lifeboat. Richard’s son Harry has followed the family tradition, and now serves on the lifeboat crew. 

In 1986, 16-year-old John Collins was asked to join the crew by the late Honourable Secretary, David Castle. John was working in the fish cellars of Port Isaac and it was felt he’d be a great addition to the crew. 

The lifeboat was seasonal service only back then so he completed his training over the winter months, then served as crew when the lifeboat was operational the next summer. John went on to serve as volunteer crew for 19 years before moving over to the role as Launching Authority and still serves as shore crew today.  

Finally, Andy Cameron joined the Port Isaac lifeboat a month after he moved into the village, at the age of 25. He’d always been on or in the water and it was an ambition to be part of a crew. Three years after qualifying as crew he passed out as a helmsman. He has lots of memorable moments on the crew from the Boscastle flood to a shout on New Year’s Eve in 2011. By the time the crew had rescued the casualty from Tintagel Head and returned to the village in bitterly cold weather, they had forgotten it was New Year’s Eve and when they walked into the pub the party was in full swing — everyone thought they were in fancy dress. 

During their time, the crew has provided a 24-hour search and rescue service ensuring people remain safe at sea and that lives are saved.  

Speaking about the crew’s service, Port Isaac lifeboat operations manager, Kevin Dingle said: “I am fortunate to have served with Trevor, Richard, John and Andy. 

“We are lucky to have so many crew at Port Isaac who have committed to volunteer for such long periods of time and we are all very grateful for their dedication.”