Saving lives at sea with the RNLI is a truly family affair in Fraserburgh
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Christmas is a time for family and, for many, a time for sharing stories of times and generations past.
For the Sutherland family in Fraserburgh, these stories often involve saving lives at sea.
Generations of families have volunteered their time and commitment 24/7, 365 days a year, to ensure the RNLI's lifesaving service has continued for nearly 200 years.
Vic Sutherland, the full-time coxswain mechanic at Fraserburgh RNLI Lifeboat Station, has been with the RNLI for over 30 years, after joining in March 1992 as a volunteer crew member. He went on to become the full-time coxswain in August 2005, before taking on the dual role of coxswain mechanic in April 2014.
He is joined by his brother, David, who joined the volunteer crew at Fraserburgh RNLI in November 1992, later becoming deputy 2nd coxswain in January 2002.
They’re both joined by David’s son and Vic’s nephew, Declan, who joined the crew in March 2016, and became deputy second mechanic in June 2021.
The brothers follow in the footsteps of their father, Victor Sutherland Snr, and his twin brother, their uncle, Albert Sutherland, who joined the crew at Fraserburgh RNLI Lifeboat Station when it reopened in 1978.
The pair volunteered for the RNLI as crew members until their retirement in 2001.
After their retirement, the brothers continued to save lives at sea by stepping up to become deputy launch authority and lifeboat operations manager.
What’s more, their older brother, James, also volunteered on the crew for a number of years too.
The brothers all served as coxswains, and also crewed the Duchess of Kent in the 1960s before the 1970 disaster.
But it’s not just the operational side the Sutherland family have been involved with. Since the 1980s, Janet joined the fundraising branch to support the RNLI, raising money through collections and events, and the fundraising tradition continues today with Vic’s wife, Pamela, and his three daughters, Eilidh, Ailsa and Lucy.
Commenting on their lifesaving family tradition, Vic said: ‘I’m proud to continue my family tradition by saving lives at sea with the RNLI here in Fraserburgh.
"My dad and his twin brother joined the crew when Fraserburgh RNLI Lifeboat Station reopened in 1978 and remained on the crew until their retirement in 2001. After that, they continued volunteering to support the station and help save lives at sea.
‘I’m also joined on the crew by my brother, David, and his son, Declan. It really is a family affair, so we have plenty of lifesaving stories to tell and share over the dinner table.
"We do it because people still get into trouble today and crews like ours are still determined to save them.
"But as a volunteer lifeboat crew we couldn’t launch with kind donations from the public which fund the kit, training and equipment we need to save others and get home safely to our own families."
Visit RNLI.org/WinterAppeal to make a donation to the RNLI’s Christmas Appeal, and enable the charity to continue its lifesaving work.
