James Corballis and Aaron O’Reilly, two trainee crew with the Galway Lifeboat Station, have this week completed their training programme and passed their final assessments which means that they can progress to fully-fledged crew.
Lifeboat training covers a range of skill sets such as seamanship and boat handling, navigation and search and rescue. Trainee crew must complete 15 training modules and 49 different assessments of activities in the lifeboat station and on the water to ensure that the lifeboat and crew aboard are ready to handle a wide range of situations when saving lives at sea.
James Corballis is originally from Kilkenny and has been living in Galway for the past 15 years.
“The RNLI has been a big part of my family growing up and from where I live in Galway, I could see the lifeboat launching at all hours day and night.
“It was something that I always I hoped I would do and in 2020 I was able to join the RNLI. I’m delighted to have now completed my trainee plan, completed and passed the final assessments which means I can now move on to be ‘substantive’ crew and take on more responsibilities when we head out to sea when the pager goes off,” he said.
Aaron O’Reilly grew up on the water and has always been involved in sailing and powerboating.
“I’ve been involved in water-based sports all my life and I know how important it is to have assistance if you need it, if there is an accident or medical emergency out on Galway Bay.
“I joined the RNLI so I could give back to the community and now that I have passed all my assessments, I’ll be able to play a greater part in providing a 24-hour rescue service for the people who need our assistance,” he said.
Frankie Leonard , Lifeboat Training Coordinator with Galway RNLI said James and Aaron started volunteering with the RNLI in late 2020 and once they completed their training as shore crew, moved on to the training plan that would enable them to become crew on the lifeboat.
“It is a real credit to both of them that they were able to complete the training modules, put the skills learned into practice on shore and on the boat and prepare for and pass their assessments while also dealing with the challenges we all faced during the pandemic.
“We are delighted to have two crew with their expertise and enthusiasm on board. Crew training is a continuous process and the learning never stops,” he said.
