AFTER forty years, countless rescues and even a television appearance, a station officer is retiring from the Coastguard service.

Chris Ball, aged 62 from Bosherston is a former electrical engineer, who used to work on the original Pembroke power station.

When asked of his most memorable experiences, Chris said: “One of the most memorable incidents I attended was the Sea Empress Oil Spill. The St Govan’s Team had to lower clean-up equipment and personnel to remote beaches. The initial sight and smell of the oil was heart-breaking but thankfully the area soon recovered after a tremendous effort by so many people.”

Chris’ interest in the coastguard began in Bosherston in the 1960s. He recalls that at the time, the St Govans Coastguard rescue team were called out by a ‘maroon’; a loud bang. Upon hearing this he, along with other youngsters of the village would jump on their bikes and follow the coastguard vehicles to see what the incident was.

It was here where Chris experienced his first coastguard rescue, not as a new recruit but as he explains: “I hadn’t even joined up at that time, but had managed to get a ride in the back of a support Land Rover with some team members. It was about 1970 and I was lowered to a young boy stuck on the cliff at Sandy Pit near Broadhaven. I weighed a lot less in those days and was easy to haul up by the rescue team! It was exciting and a good result as the boy was uninjured.”

Finally, Chris said: “Coastguarding has been a big part of my life and I would like to thank all those who have made my time so enjoyable over the last 40 or so years. The past and present members of the St Govans Rescue team and the coastguard volunteers within the South Pembrokeshire Sector, the Headquarters staff at St Anns and more recently Milford Haven and our Sector Manager deserves special mention. The companionship and support have been outstanding.”