Your Stories

Raymond Oliver, James, Joseph and Andrew Taylor

There is no doubt that being a member of the Cullercoats lifeboat crew is in Robert Oliver's blood - he can trace his family's links with it back six generations.

He clearly remembers his first time out with the boat as an 11-year-old schoolboy.

"A boat was reported lost in the fog," he said

"I remember coming down from school in my uniform when I heard the maroon. I helped my dad put the boat in the water and it was up to my chest.

"He pulled me up on to the boat and we went away and found the boat and assisted it back in."

Family of fishermen

Although that was his first time on board, he grew up around the lifeboat and there are photos of him proudly standing alongside his father Raymond and the rest of the crew.

Robert standing in front of his father Raymond

Robert, 43, officially became a lifeboat crew member at the age of 17 and took over as leading helmsman in 1996. Before that his father Raymond was coxswain.

The link then goes back to his grandfather on his mother's side, James Taylor, his great-grandfather Joseph Taylor and great-great grandfather Francis Taylor. Back another generation were Andrew and Robert Arthur Taylor.

All of them were fishermen and Robert is too and goes out most days in his coble from Cullercoats. He believes that is why his family has had such close links with the lifeboat.

He said: "It was part of my life. With my dad involved with fishing and I had a rowing boat myself. It seemed to come hand in hand with that that you helped people out.

"I think it started with being a fisherman I know how easy it is to get into difficulty. It's hard to get across to people how easy it is to get into trouble."

Robert has the kind of seamanship skills which he believes are dying out because boats are so high-tech now. At one time all he would use to navigate were a compass and a watch.

Robert joined the crew when he was 17

But he believes the loss of those traditional skills has led to more people getting into difficulties at sea with people going out without the correct equipment.

Adrenalin flows

The lifeboat has been an important part of Cullercoats over the years although Robert believes it is less so now than it once was. Although the annual Harbour Day has the boat as its focal point.

Robert said: "We used to put up maroons to alert the crew and the village that the lifeboat was off.

"We used to get a lot of people coming down wanting to help out.

"We have got a pager system now and have moved away from the maroons."

In August 2008, Robert and other members of the Cullercoats crew took part in the recreation of a famous rescue from 1861 when the lifeboat could not be launched in bad weather and had to be pulled more than two miles along the coast to rescue the crew of a stricken boat.

The recreation was for the next series of the BBC's Coast, which will be screened in 2009.

As well as being leading helmsman, Robert is also the mechanic and maintains the boat and trailer.

Robert as a boy on board one of the lifeboats

He said he still gets the same buzz now as he did when he first joined the crew.

"I feel no different now when the pager goes off to when I was 17 and the maroon went off," he said.

"First of all you want to get down here as fast as you can. The adrenalin is going because you don't know what the job is. You do everything as fast as you can.

"There is still the buzz of going out with the boat."

Passion

In July, Robert and his wife Sandra, who is chairwoman of the Ladies Lifeboat Guild, were invited to one of the Queen's garden parties in recognition of his years of service and his family's connection with the lifeboat.

Robert has won praise over the years for a number of operations he has been involved with including the rescue of a lifeguard who got stuck at the base of the cliffs at Cullercoats in rough seas in 1996.

He said he is incredibly proud of his family's links with the lifeboat.

As well as his pride in his dad for being coxswain of the lifeboat, he also speaks proudly about his career as a footballer.

Robert looks at his family tree

Raymond played for Bishop Auckland in the 1950s as an amateur and won two FA Cup winners medals and one runners-up medal as well as playing for England as an amateur.

He decided not to turn professional because he loved his life in Cullercoats so much.

Robert believes his family links with the lifeboat may end with him although he said his nine-year-old daughter had showed some interest.

But he said being involved with the lifeboat has been an inextricable part of his life.

"I don't even want to go shopping in case the boat gets called," he said.

"It's a passion."