A volunteer with the Anstruther lifeboat has passed yet another milestone.
It is not unusual to find people who have joined the RNLI family and remained with it for many years but it is not too often you come across a volunteer who can boast more than 30 years’ operational service.
George Sorley (54), from Anstruther, joined the crew back in 1977 and this week received an additional 10 years bar to add to his long service badge commemorating 20 years’ service.
Without contest the most experienced of the crew, George remains committed to the work of the RNLI and the development of the Anstruther station, conducting regular training sessions for recruits on Wednesday evenings.
His service has seen him rise from launcher to regular boat crew, emergency mechanic and latterly as deputy coxswain.
Known to hundreds of school children past and present across the East Neuk where he works as a janitor, George remains an ambassador for the RNLI and the volunteer ethos, providing the valuable conduit between the lifeboat and schools in the East Neuk.
Peter Murray, coxswain of the lifeboat when George was recruited, said he was a fisherman back in 1977 when he joined the crew of The Doctors and has been an ever-present since.
He added: ”George joined the crew as a launcher and very quickly worked his way on to the crew of the boat. He remains a great ambassador for the lifeboat service, an excellent devoted man, very worthy of praise.”
Records are not available for the total number of incidents George has been involved in but, in the last 10 years, he has been on board for just over 120 service calls.