Bohemia Village Voice

Bob Kenward, coastguard

Bohemia has many special residents working hard for the benefit of the Community in a voluntary capacity. Among them is Bob Kenward of Newgate Road, deputy station officer at Hastings Coastguard. Over the years Bob has been involved in many rescues including a dramatic helicopter night time cliff rescue at Fairlight in March 2009 and the rescue of two teenage girls from an inflatable dinghy in July 2009.
We all admire the courage of the men and women coastguards who risk their own lives to save others. However, recently I learnt that there is much more than courage to their work. The team trains two or three times a month with additional hours studying and learning. They are also very active with accident prevention work by inviting groups of youngsters like cubs, scouts, etc, to the station for talks on the work of the Coastguard and to be educated on sea safety.   
I was invited to attend a Coastguard training session on the cliffs at Fairlight. The team practised the rescue of someone who had fallen over the cliff.  A hoist was built and a coastguard was lowered to “save” the casualty (a dummy). What impressed me most was the attention to detail which every team member had to master. Each piece of equipment was carefully selected, checked and put in place. The rescue team was supervised by station officer Bud White. One mistake could jeopardise a rescue and result in the loss of someone’s life.
There was a cold wind and it takes a lot of concentration to work in a cold wind. Luckily the rain held off. A real rescue might happen in the dark in the face of a freezing-cold wind and lashing rain. The men and women of the Coastguard possess a remarkable combination of emotional, physical and mental strength. In October 2009, Bob Kenward and station officer Bud White were given the mayor’s award.  Bud is due to get his 40 year Long Service Medal in March 2010 and Bob his 30th in 2011. Both have a long family history in serving their community as volunteer Coastguards.
Our town is very fortunate to have such dedicated and caring people.          

Setting up the gear to recover the casualty.