Born and bred in Castlegar, Adrian Phillips had never so much as set foot on a boat when he decided to volunteer with the Galway Lifeboat.

Working in the family business, Jim Phillips and Sons Wines and Spirits, and training an underage team with Galwegians in his spare time, Adrian decided it was time to think outside the box and went along to a lifeboat open day.

"I was trying to do something useful for the community, and to inject some excitement into my life," says Adrian now.

After his initial visit during that open day, Pat Lavelle, then the launch authority at the facility, called him and asked him to come in for some training.

"I didn't know the bow from the stern, but that shows the quality of training and it really reflects the dedication of everyone there. I'm completely confident now on a boat."

Since then, Adrian has completed almost five years of training. When he first joined he was on probation for six months and then completed an intensive training course at the RNLI's training centre in Poole.

After a couple of years as a crewman and many 'shouts' (call-outs) under his belt, Adrian decided to train as a helmsman. Now, along with colleague Declan Killilea, he has qualified as a helmsman.

They now form part of a cohort of eight fully qualified helmsmen within the station's currently active volunteer crew of 22.

"Galway is renowned for the high quality of its training. Mike Swan and Seamus Carter are great, I wouldn't have gone for the helmsman without the support and training structure that's there," says Adrian.

Having participated in some thirty shout-outs, Adrian has some good memories and some bad.

"There have been a couple of really really exciting ones. There was one where we were called out on a fairly wild night, but we got through it. There can be fun ones where it might just be engine failure or something, so it's just a tow-in, nothing too stressful. But we try and keep it light.

"When the serious stuff comes, you know what to do and there's a good team. I have been on shouts where there are casualties recovered. You don't try to think about it, or you wouldn't do it. Sometimes you just have to be glad you've managed to recover a body for the family, but you try not to dwell on it. Everyone is different, but we have a debrief after every call as part of our training where we wind down."

The lifeboat has also done him some favours in his personal life.

Adrian met his wife Una at a 999 Emergency Services social event, where "she had gatecrashed it with some friends who were nurses".

On their first dinner date, Adrian's lifeboat pager went off as he and Una were finishing their main courses.

"The pager went off after the main course, I threw a few quid on the table and legged it! It was kind of funny because we were at the Thai Garden, near the docks, and as I ran down towards the docks another crewman ran out, coming from Quay Street. Then we ran into another two on a pushbike, who were coming from a barbeque on the Long Walk!"

Despite the disruption to his personal life, Adrian loves volunteering with the lifeboat. "It's such an interesting learning curve, and I got great support and encouragement from everyone at the lifeboat - it's like a little family."

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