Meet Your Coastguards: Gary Locke, Port Talbot Deputy Station Officer

Located in the historic county of Glamorgan on the South Wales coast, Port Talbot is an industrial centre and popular seaside resort. 

The town’s three-mile sandy beach at Aberavon is popular with surfers, swimmers and kayakers, and offers tranquil views over Swansea Bay. The nearby Margam Country Park and renowned Afan Forest Park are popular stops for cyclists and walkers. 

The Port Talbot Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) consists of 12 Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs), including Deputy Station Officer Gary Locke, who’s here to tell us more about the Port Talbot team.

Port Talbot Deputy Station Officer Gary, right


Why did you join HM Coastguard?

"Our team shares a range of reasons for joining the Coastguard, from growing up close to the beach to giving back to the community. My family has served for more than 160 years and counting, so I’ll often say that it's ‘in my blood’. Fellow team member Gary Lowe’s father has also served."

What do you enjoy most about being a member of the team?

"Definitely the comradery between our team; it plays a vital part in being able to rely on each other when needed. Also, giving back to the community by being there when that person needs you. Being there to help really makes the 3am pager tone worth it."

What is the most unusual incident you have attended?

"Two years ago, we had a woman going into labour on the beach. She was very close to giving birth, but luckily we managed to get her to an ambulance and off to hospital in time."

Which local beach is your favourite and why?

"It must be Aberavon. There’s no bias of course, it’s just a beautifully underrated beach."

Port Talbot Coastguards at workWhat new skills have you learned as a Coastguard Rescue Officer?

"Lost and Missing Person and Coastguard Emergency Response Casualty Care skills have been nothing short of invaluable to learn, as these embed confidence in the team to search safely at night in difficult terrain, as well as having that friendly communication with any casualty."

What is the most challenging part of your role?

"Dealing with fatalities can be challenging, but the system HM Coastguard has in place is very helpful for some of us during these difficult taskings."

 

What is the most unusual place you’ve been when the pager has gone off?

"One of the joys of being in the service is that the pager could go off at any given time. From family meals out, to a shop at the local supermarket. While being fast asleep is probably the most popular one."

When you are not working or volunteering as a Coastguard, what do you enjoy doing?

"We all agree that quality time is about spending time with our families, but we have quite a few gym goers, as well as a football coach and a golfer."

What do you do for a living?

"We have quite a range of jobs here at Port Talbot CRT - CEO of a charity, contracts manager, nurse, police, and ex forces. It's these jobs and former job roles that bring invaluable skills to the team."

Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua...
Read more

PRESTWICK SEARCH AND RESCUE HELICOPTER SERVICE LAUNCH MARKED IN CEREMONY

Image
- Prestwick search and rescue helicopter base set to go live in January - The launch of the Prestwick civilian UK search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service was marked today (Thursday 17 December 2015) in a ceremony held at the new Coastguard SAR base at Prestwick Airport. Bristow Helicopters Ltd is operating the search and rescue helicopter service for the UK on behalf of HM Coastguard. The UK limited company was awarded the ten-year UK SAR contract by the Department for Transport in March 2013, representing a £1.9bn investment by the UK Government in the UK’s search and rescue helicopter service. By 2017 the service will be delivered from ten bases in all, strategically located close to areas of high SAR incident rates. The Prestwick base will begin SAR operations when crews begin receiving taskings from the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) in January 2016. Bristow crews are delivering the UK SAR helicopter service on behalf of HM Coastguard with state-of-the-a...
Read more

22 September 1914: Remembering HM Coastguard’s greatest loss

Image
  As the nation remembers members of the armed forces lost during military service, HM Coastguard laments the tragic loss of more than 1,000 sailors on 22 September 1914. When we think of the Great War, we think of tremendous battles fought in far-flung foreign lands; Passchendaele, The Somme and Gallipoli being frequently brought to bear in the public consciousness more than a century later.  However, a devastating naval attack closer to home was to lay bare the significant threat posed by Germany's state-of-the-art underwater war machines. Over the course of a dark and fateful day in September 1914, more than 1,400 were to lose their lives aboard three vessels defending the North Sea. Among those lost were a substantial number of coastguards, drawn into military service at the start of war with Germany. The tragedy was to be the greatest loss of personnel in the coastguard service’s history.  Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany A threat to Naval supremacy At the turn of the 20...
Read more