Queen’s New Year Honour for Invergordon Lifeboat Volunteer
Retired Lifeboat Operations Manager Captain Iain Dunderdale has been appointed MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours for services to the community in the Scottish Highlands.
With 36 years of service at Invergordon Lifeboat overseeing and authorising many service launches over the years at the helm, Iain has seen many Lifeboats stationed at Invergordon from the early open wheel house boats capable of 8 knots to today’s all-weather lifeboat Trent Class Lifeboat “Douglas Aikman Smith’ which tops 25 knots.
With many accolades under Iain's belt, including being presented the RNLI Gold Badge in 2016, others stem from his work at the neighbouring Port of Cromarty Firth and his commitment to the Cruise Industry where Iain was dubbed as Scotland’s ‘Mr Cruise’ and receiving Outstanding Acheivement Awards for his work commercially.
Iain’s work as Lifeboat Operations Manager (LOM) saw Iain helping on Fundraising Days, promoting Station awareness, and overseeing the running of the Station as a whole.
A Invergordon Lifeboat Spokesperson said “We are absolutely thrilled and delighted to learn that Iain has been recognised for his work, time and commitment to the RNLI and the Community
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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