Appledore RNLI say goodbye to fellow crew member Gary Stanbury.

Lifeboat Operations Manager, Bob Meller, says: ‘It is always difficult to see a crew member stand down, but especially someone who has dedicated more than three decades to the station. Sorry Gary - but after 34 years on the crew, you definitely qualify as one of the old timers! Thank you for everything.’

Gary moved to Appledore in the autumn of 1991, settling into a house just behind the lifeboat station. With friends and cousins already serving on the crew, it was perhaps inevitable that he would soon find himself down at the station lending a hand, officially joining the crew around a year later.

Over the following years, Gary became qualified in almost every role within the station. His RNLI journey began as shore crew and then quickly progressed to boat crew aboard the Whizzer, the station’s Atlantic 21, progressing through the Atlantic 75 Douglas Paley and eventually to the current Atlantic 85 Glanely. He also served aboard the Tyne-class all-weather lifeboat George Gibson and later the Tamar-class Mollie Hunt. Throughout his time with the station, Gary qualified as shore crew, head launcher, tractor driver, boat crew, navigator, mechanic, helm, coxswain, station trainer, and more recently as a full-time Assessor Trainer.

In 2005, whilst serving as helm on the Atlantic 75, Gary was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal for gallantry after rescuing three people from the notoriously dangerous Bideford Bar in extremely poor conditions, alongside fellow crew members Andrew Hallett and Martin Davis.

Away from the lifeboat station, Gary worked for John Pavitt Engineering - a company closely connected with the station through former second coxswain and chairman John Pavitt - where he worked in both factory and boat maintenance.

Following the COVID period, Gary took on a two-year role with the RNLI as an Assessor Trainer in the South West, delivering training and carrying out assessments at lifeboat stations across the region. Following this role, he spent several years running his own river boat trips during the summer months, while also serving as a South West Area Relief Mechanic and Coxswain during the winters.

In 2018, Gary returned to a full-time RNLI role as an Assessor Trainer in the South East. By 2021, his responsibilities expanded significantly as he became a Plant and Machinery Assessor Trainer, overseeing training and assessment for launch and recovery vehicles, winches, lifeboat and hovercraft mechanics, helms, and coxswains.

Despite holding demanding full-time RNLI roles, Gary continued to volunteer his time at Appledore as a helm, coxswain, and mechanic - a reflection of his unwavering commitment to the station and its crew.

When asked why he has volunteered with Appledore RNLI for so many years, Gary said:

“It is nice to give something back to the community and to be part of a team, but it is so much more than that. The team are friends, and we are one big family. No one outside the RNLI can truly understand how close we are.

“Each person plays a different role, many interchangeable, covering every aspect of lifesaving at sea. The training, the high standards, and the operational procedures mean we instinctively know what to do, when to do it, and how to work together.

“The bond between crew members, people who place their safety in the hands of one another, who drop everything without hesitation to help people they may never even meet again, is something that cannot really be explained.”

As the crew say: “Thank you, Gary, for your years of service, dedication, training, friendship, and support. While you may be stepping down from the crew, you will always remain part of the Appledore RNLI family. We wish you every happiness in your retirement, you have earnt it.”

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Niki Tait, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI South West, [email protected]

Emma Haines, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for South West England, 07786 668847, [email protected]

Amy Caldwell, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for South West England, 07920 818807, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

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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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