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Barrie's Retirement Abersoch RNLI stalwart hangs up lifejacket after 40 years of charity work Barrie McGill has retired from his duties after 17 years as RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager (LOM) at Abersoch. His successor is Gareth Hughes-Jones who has been the RNLI's Training Co-ordinator at the station for the past nine years. When he reached the RNLI's mandatory age of retirement on 10 February, Barrie ended over four decades of dedicated work with sea rescue services. His rescue career started as an RNLI volunteer crew member in June 1965 when the inshore lifeboat station was re-established at Abersoch, with a D-class lifeboat. He became a skilful helmsman and in 1972, he and another RNLI volunteer crew member received the Thanks of the Institution on Vellum. They received this for their part in rescuing two men by breaches buoy off the rocks at Cilan Head. Five years later, Barrie and two volunteer crew members were presented with Framed Letters of Thanks, signed by the Chairman of the RNLI, for rescuing a climber who had fallen 35 feet into the sea. In June 1985, he received his 20 years service certificate from the RNLI. He spent the next six years in the Abersoch Coastguard before returning to the Abersoch RNLI in 1992, as Honorary Secretary, the role which has been re-titled LOM in recent years. Colin Williams, RNLI Divisional Inspector for the West says: 'Barrie has made a tremendous contribution to the RNLI and for that I thank him. Abersoch RNLI has gone from strength to strength having been run in an extremely efficient way.' New LOM Gareth Hughes Jones, who was an RNLI crew member and helmsman at Abersoch between 1976 - 1996 says: 'In the lifeboat community Barrie McGill is recognised as an experienced sailor and his commitment to the saving of lives of sea is evident. All the crew members at Abersoch are very grateful for his knowledge and his willingness to share it.' Helmsman 'Fritz' Williams, who became an RNLI volunteer crew member in 1992, the year in which Barrie became LOM said of him: 'He has been one of us from the start, and has our greatest respect.' In wishing everyone at the station all the very best, Barrie said that he found it very satisfying to have worked within a team of dedicated like-minded volunteers who wanted to save lives at sea. Barrie's son Neil, the senior helmsman with the RNLI at Abersoch
will be the new Lifeboat Training Co-ordinator. Sue, Barrie's wife
will be following her husband's footsteps by vacating her role as
the long-standing Chairperson of the efficient and highly successful
Abersoch RNLI fundraising committee. Also retiring from the fund raising
committee are Joan and Malcolm Timmins and Nina Lang, who, along with
Sue, have dedicated a great deal of their time in raising funds for
the station over 
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