Malcolm “Malc” Wright MBE reflects on 11 years with Weymouth Lifeboat Station

Malcolm “Malc” Wright MBE Reflects on 11 Years with Weymouth Lifeboat Station

After more than a decade of dedicated service to Weymouth Lifeboat Station, Malcolm “Malc” Wright has stepped down from his role as Launching Authority, marking the end of a remarkable chapter in a life defined by commitment to saving lives at sea.

Born in Essex, Malc moved to Cornwall at 14, where he first developed his love of the coastline. By 19, he had settled in Weymouth, training as a teacher and beginning a path that would ultimately lead to more than four decades of service devoted to protecting those at sea.

Malc joined Weymouth RNLI in December 2014, immediately taking up the demanding post of Lifeboat Operations Manager (LOM). He arrived with a deep well of operational experience and a calm, measured approach that quickly proved invaluable to the station. His RNLI service followed an extraordinary career that combined 35 years of teaching at the Royal Manor School on Portland with decades of dedication to HM Coastguard, first as an Auxiliary at Portland Bill Lookout, then as a volunteer for Wyke Regis (Weymouth) Coastguard Rescue Team, and later as serving as a Watch Officer at Coastguard Operations HQ until its closure in 2014. His long service with HM Coastguard was recognised with an MBE, awarded by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, an occasion Malc remembers with immense pride.

When the opportunity arose to volunteer for the RNLI, Malc embraced it wholeheartedly. “The Lifeboat Operations Manager role turned out to be a lot busier than I’d imagined!” he laughs. As LOM, he oversaw the day-to-day running of Weymouth Lifeboat Station, managing crew levels, welfare, and operational readiness. In 2019, he stepped back from the LOM role to become a Launching Authority, still a position of significant responsibility, though with less administrative pressure. He continued in this role until his 72nd birthday, the maximum age permitted under RNLI policy.

Wearing the RNLI pager for more than a decade soon became second nature. “It goes everywhere with you—bedside table, the bathroom, the car. You’re always ready,” he says. His family, he admits, became used to meals being interrupted and plans being reshaped around the call to service. “You need an understanding family in this line of duty.”

As he receives his RNLI long service recognition this month, Malc remains typically modest. “There are people who’ve done far more,” he insists. Yet for Weymouth RNLI, his contribution has been profound: decades of dedication, quiet leadership, and an unwavering commitment to keeping people safe at sea. A lifetime of service wrapped in humility—the very embodiment of the values the RNLI relies upon.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

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