Prestigious award for Tobermory’s youngest lifeboat crew member
TOBERMORY RNLI’s youngest crew member has won a prestigious award to mark his volunteer work on the lifeboat.
Alexander Anderson received Argyll and Bute’s Youth Volunteering Award at a ceremony in Helensburgh.
Alexander, 17, joined Tobermory's volunteer crew in May last year. Within 24 hours of receiving his pager, he was responding to his first ‘shout’ – a false alarm to an emergency beacon which had gone off near Loch Scridain.
Since then, Alexander has responded to several more call-outs and trained every week with the rest of the volunteer crew.
Alexander’s citation for the Argyll and Bute Youth Award read: ‘While currently studying for his Highers, Alexander also has the responsibility of being a senior prefect and is actively involved in the life of the school, attending prefect meetings and school council meetings, and he is a keen sportsman.
‘Alongside school, Alexander also juggles his duties as a volunteer lifeboat crew member with the RNLI. As the youngest member at 17, he has impressed his fellow crew members with the effort and commitment he puts in to any task he is given, becoming a highly respected member of the crew in the short time he has been there.’
Alexander follows in the footsteps of his father, who spent more than 20 years on Tobermory lifeboat as a volunteer and full-time mechanic before retiring in 2016.
Tobermory RNLI chairman Richard ‘Popz’ Fairbairns said: ‘This is a very well-deserved award for Alexander. As well as attending exercises every week and putting in the effort as he progresses to completing his initial training as a crew member, he has already responded to eight shouts.
‘As the award citation states, this is in addition to his school activities and other interests.
‘All of us at the station congratulate Alexander on winning this prestigious award.’
Leader of Argyll and Bute Council Aileen Morton said: ‘We have so much to be proud of in Argyll and Bute and our young people are a huge part of that.
‘That’s why it’s a real pleasure to recognise the contribution they make to life in our communities through the Argyll and Bute Awards 2018.
‘These awards are much more than a way of highlighting the many achievements and successes of Argyll and Bute’s young people. They tell our young people that they matter – that what they do makes a difference to life in Argyll and Bute.’