“WAVE SWALLOWERS”

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 September 1929, Page 8

“WAVE SWALLOWERS”

NEWS ABOUT LIFEBOATMEN. Boys and girls attending 1400 elementary schools in Great Britain and Ireland, to win prizes given by the Duke of Northumberland, were asked, in essays, to describe the “qualities of the lifeboatman which can make him an example of good citizenship.” This is what some of them said: — “If everyone followed the example of the lifeboatmen there would be no need for soldiers and police.”

“It is such men as the lifeboatmen who make England what it is to-day, an overwhelming country.” “If every person in the British Isles possessed the characteristics of a lifeboatman —well, it would soon be a sort of earthly paradise.” “These men you see loafing on the beach when the sea is calm are often some of the most willing and brave men.”'

“To be able to pronounce the qualities of a lifeboatman we have not only to look at him and reel them off like Edgar Wallace does his thrilling tales, but we have to find them out little by little. He is a stocky, swarthy, greasy built sailor in a woollen jersey, baggy trousers and clumping boots, a man who appears to have no brains at all, yet his qualities are renowned and talked about all over the world.” “Lifeboatmen, taken as a vffiole, are rugged, simple-minded, straightforward men, who feel out of place in high society and more comfortable when straining at an oar.” “Though he is tough and rough in his ways, he lifts the women and children as gentle as a lamb.” “If you met one, he would look very noble and honest. The sea waves, spray and wind have hardened his face and hands and made him so.” “He must have great buoyancy. He must have the power to free himself from water.”

“He has to be big, strong, fearless, and have big limbs. He must not be a sneak, and not afraid to swallow waves.”

“If death is staring him in the face he is not afraid, but goes out in the lifeboat as if' he was going for a pleasure trip.” “To remain in bed when duty calls is laziness and not the quality of a lifeboatman. They resist the temptation.”

“He must be in the boat punctually, whatever his occupation, fishing, nursing a baby, washing the clothes, scrubbing the floor, or even in the middle of spring cleaning the house.-