Well-deserved honour for Vic Dade after 47 years of service at Hunstanton RNLI
A Norfolk lifeboat volunteer has been honoured for a lifesaving career spanning almost 50 years.
Hunstanton RNLI crew member Vic Dade was made an MBE in the King's New Year Honours for his contribution to maritime safety.
He was presented with his award by the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle on 17 February.
'I was a bit nervous at first when we got to Windsor,' said Vic. 'But Princess Anne put me at ease straight away.
'We got talking about lifeboats and what we do, the area we cover, King's Lynn, Boston, The Wash and the coast.
'She was very knowledgeable, it's obviously something she's very interested in.'
'She was very knowledgeable, it's obviously something she's very interested in.'
Vic was accompanied at the investiture by his wife Dee and crewmates Andrew and Kate Craven, while Hunstanton RNLI chairman Charles le Strange Meakin stepped in to chauffeur them to the castle.
'It was just such a fantastic day,' he added.
Forestry worker Vic joined the Hunstanton crew at the age of 17, soon after the station reopened following a hiatus of almost four decades in 1979.
He signed up as a tractor driver at the age of 17, soon after starting as a farm worker on the nearby Le Strange Estate in Old Hunstanton, where he still works.
Vic, now 64, would go on to crew on both the station's fast inshore lifeboats and its hovercraft, which arrived in 2002.
He took part in some of the station's more noteworthy rescues, including flying the hovercraft which saved three young girls who had found themselves cut off by the tide at Brancaster in 2013.
During his time with the RNLI, Vic has been awarded three RNLI bronze medals for gallantry. The first came in 1985 when he helped save the life of a windsurfer.
He was awarded the second three years later for his role in rescuing the crew of a fishing vessel in pitch darkness and gale force winds.
In 1990, he was given his third for his role in rescuing the crew of a yacht aground taking a beating from the stormy conditions.
Vic, who still turns out in all weathers for shore crew duties and helps maintain the station's tractor and craft, said: 'The RNLI was just something I fancied joining, so I joined as a tractor driver.
'A few weeks later, I ended up being crew on the D-class and the boats that followed it and then flying the hovercraft after that came.'
Asked which rescue was the most memorable throughout his 47-year career, he said: 'The three girls we saved at Brancaster, that was a close one.'
Vic flew the hovercraft which rescued twins Daisy and Molly Cole, then aged 13 and their 23-year-old sister Zoe after they became cut off by the tide at Brancaster in 2013.
Hunstanton Flyer arrived just as the tired trio began losing their grip on a buoy they were clinging to in the fierce current.
Daisy, Molly and Zoe were all plucked from the sea and returned safely to shore by the crew.
Vic would later go on to meet Daisy, Molly and Zoe for the first time more than 10 years after he flew the hovercraft which rescued them, when the family came to the station in 2024.
The girls' mum Stacey O'Donnell, who ran that year's London Marathon to raise funds for the RNLI, said she would have lost her entire family that day were it not for the crew, one of whom leapt into the sea after one of her daughters was carried away by the tide.
Asked what has kept him going for almost half a century, Vic added: 'I just enjoy being part of it, I like the people, I like mingling with the crew.
'I'm hoping to keep going until I've done my 50 years, I'll hopefully have reached the age of 70 by then.'
Vic brought the medal down to show his crewmates, who proudly lined up for a picture before getting suited and booted for their regular Sunday morning exercise on 22 February.
Hunstanton Lifeboat Operations Manager Mike Gould said: 'Vic's MBE is true recognition for one of the most modest and humble of men.
'He has saved and assisted hundreds during his time on the boat and the hovercraft and inspired generations of crew.
'He continues to support Hunstanton RNLI with all of his years of knowledge and experience.
'It was well-deserved, Vic is such an inspiration.'
Hunstanton Lifeboat Operations Manager Mike Gould said: 'Vic's MBE is true recognition for one of the most modest and humble of men.
'He has saved and assisted hundreds during his time on the boat and the hovercraft and inspired generations of crew.
'He continues to support Hunstanton RNLI with all of his years of knowledge and experience.
'It was well-deserved, Vic is such an inspiration.'
Editor's Notes
Beer cost 50p a pint and a loaf of bread cost 25p when Vic Dade joined the RNLI.
Petrol was less than £1 a gallon, you could snap up a new Ford Cortina for £3,500 and the likes of Pink Floyd, The Police, Cliff Richard and Blondie were topping the charts.
While the world has changed since Vic signed up, the charity that saves lives at sea still depends on the dedication and courage of its volunteers as it has for more than two centuries.
They include the crew at Hunstanton RNLI, who cover The Wash and parts of the North Norfolk coast from their base on Sea Lane.
Like more than 230 lifeboat stations around the coast of the UK and Ireland, their work would not be possible without the kindness of those who donate to the RNLI, or remember it in their wills.
RNLI Images
The photographs show Victor with crewmates and after the investiture at Windsor Castle, along with the twins and their sister he rescued in 2013 and RNLI hovercraft Hunstanton Flyer.
Please note picture credits.
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For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219, Clare Hopps, RNLI Regional Communications Manager, North and East on 07824 518641, or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
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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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