Cowes RNLI honours press officer, George Chastney, for his 22 years of service

George joined Cowes’ independent lifeboat, Cowes Rescue, in 2003, after a long career as a journalist across several papers in the south. He was well aware of operations; in fact, the move to establish a lifeboat in Cowes came out of a tragic collision between a Red Funnel hydrofoil and a fishing boat in 1987, which George covered as a journalist at the Southern Evening Echo at the time.

George took on the role of volunteer press officer, sharing news of rescues and taking a leading role in fundraising for the lifeboat. When the RNLI took over operations in Cowes in 2008, George stayed on, and since then has kept up a steady stream of news from rescues, training and station life.

The adrenaline and urgency of lifeboat rescues was no shock to George. He had previously served in the RAF as senior aircraftman at the Hillingdon headquarters of 11 Group, Fighter Command, during which time the Avro Anson twin-engine he was flying in had lost a wheel in a tricky landing. He had once been a passenger on a hot air balloon over the Isle of Wight, when it had crashed heavily upon its descent. And in 1952, when George was only 15 years old, he had experienced his own rescue at sea, when he fell down a tall cliff in Ilfracombe. With both legs fractured and the tide coming in, George had been immensely relieved to see Ilfracombe’s RNLI lifeboat coming to rescue him.

George was honoured at Cowes Station last week in a ceremony attended by current crew members and an RNLI representative, alongside boat crew member, Jean-Marc Bonello, who volunteered at the station for over five years and is now moving to mainland Europe. Both George and Jean-Marc received a commemorative mug and a card.

Mark Southwell, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Cowes RNLI Station, said:

“This week we said goodbye to two important crew members at Cowes RNLI. Loyalty and commitment are the hallmarks of a lifeboat service. Jean-Marc and George have demonstrated that here at Cowes. They have both been respected members of the team making significant contributions in different ways, which is the only way a RNLI station can offer that all important 24hr service.”

George will go on to become Cowes RNLI Station’s archivist, recording in a new book the history of lifesaving in Cowes of which he himself forms a significant part.

Hatti Mellor, Regional Communications Manager for the RNLI, worked closely with George and travelled to the island for his goodbye ceremony. She said:

“George has outstanding experience through his fascinating career working as a journalist and he’s been a real asset to Cowes RNLI during his 16 years of volunteering as their lifeboat press officer. His infectious enthusiasm and his deep understanding of lifeboat rescues have also played a vital role in the history of lifesaving in Cowes. I’d like to thank George for his decades of service to the RNLI, and I know he will continue to support the charity through his role as archivist and his upcoming book.”

George said:

"As someone who quite probably owes his life to the RNLI, it has been an enormous privilege to provide accounts to the media, many years later, of the often challenging tasks of the charity."

This November, George will also receive his certificate of service, recognising over ten years of service to the lifeboat in Cowes.

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RNLI media contacts

• Sofia Voudouroglou, Cowes RNLI Volunteer Press Officer 07594051372/ [email protected]

• For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789.

About Cowes RNLI Station

Cowes Lifeboat Station is converted from a former HM Customs Watch House, the rear of which is 300 years old. It looks out onto one of the world’s busiest shipping waterways and carries out a range of interesting services every year. It is the only station to be opened by Queen Elizabeth II.