SCUBA June 2023 issue 136 | Page 25

Remembering Robert Willin

ROB JOINED EASTCOTE SUB AQUA Club in the late 1980s . His training progressed quickly , soon becoming a competent , safe and enthusiastic diver .
Rob ’ s cheerful presence enhanced the club ’ s regular expeditions to Porthkerris , the Farnes , Lundy and St Abbs . Rob wasn ’ t just a great dive buddy , instructor and dive manager , he was fond of a chat , a pint , walking , cream teas and pubs ; Rob loved it all !
Rob shared his passion for diving by qualifying as an Open Water Instructor , ensuring his students met the same standards he had set himself .
As a diver , Rob will be remembered for his calm , confidence inspiring manner and excellent spotting abilities ; nudibranchs , wolf fish , pipefish – he saw them all and always shared them with his buddy . Many divers have memories of their first dive , progression dives or simply memorable dives with Rob .
Rob held various ESAC committee posts ; his last position was that of Diving Officer . Rob was as meticulous and conscientious a Diving Officer as he was an instructor and you could always rely on him ; If Rob said he was going to do something , it would get done ! He was always ready to offer constructive advice to anyone , from the newest trainee to the Chair .
Rob was a key member of our club for more than 30 years and will be sorely missed after his sudden and unexpected death . His large family share this loss , as do his many friends in the worlds of running , skiing and the theatre .
Rob will be remembered as a good friend ; always smiling on land , always humming a good tune while diving . JACKIE O ’ DOWD , Eastcote SAC

In praise of Street SAC

NORMALLY IT ’ S THE CLUB WRITING TO thank a member who has gone above and beyond with their support for the club . This , however , is the other way round . I would like to thank my club , Street Sub Aqua Club , for all the help and support they have given and the professional way they have conducted themselves through a difficult time .

Mark Milburn a tribute

LESS THAN HALF A MILE FROM THE Atlantic Scuba dive centre in Cornwall , is a donkey sanctuary . It has been suggested that many of its residents were only there because Mark Milburn had talked their hind legs off . This theory was proposed by Mark himself and serves to illustrate what a fine raconteur and communicator the diving world has lost .
Mark grew up near Newquay and drifted through a number of careers including selling building materials , IT and being a DJ . But his passion not only for diving , but for absorbing any information about it , meant there was only one job that he would end up with .
He learnt his craft from other local dive centres before setting up Atlantic Scuba in 2006 . It has to be said that the early years were lean but his RIB , Stingray , took a slowly expanding crowd of locals
Unfortunately I was involved in an accident while filling bottles and ended up in ICU with serious burns . The club stepped up , especially the officers , who arranged lifts to and from the hospital for my wife during this stressful time . Nothing was too much trouble , they took flowers as a thank you to the non-members that were involved in administering first aid at the scene , met with the Fire Service and Police to assist with their investigations , submitted incident reports and all the background tasks that need to be done when something like this happens . The club as a whole has
to various sites in Falmouth Bay . Shortly after moving to Cornwall , I began to help Mark out and we were soon planning a number of projects . What Mark wanted most was publicity . This began when we organised an underwater litter pick and were interviewed on local radio . This made Mark realise the importance of media collaboration .
Shortly afterwards , Mark found a camera in the Helford estuary and managed to save the memory card . This story went unexpectedly viral and soon our eclectic range of projects were being featured on television , including Coast , Country File , The One Show and we made a half hour documentary for BBC1 about the wreck of the Darlwyne .
As his business grew more successful , Mark invested in two hard boats which were used by free divers as well as recreational clubs and deep technical teams . Along with Dr David Gibbins , he formed Cornwall Maritime Archaeology , an organisation dedicated to the responsible investigation of historic wrecks such as the Dutch East Indiaman , The Schiedam . pulled together , organising working parties to repair the damage done to the boat shed .
I am now home and making a good recovery but still have constant contact , with members visiting and taking me here and there . If there was an award for the most compassionate club I would be nominating SSAC as a candidate . I can ’ t thank them enough for what they have done and will always be indebted to them for all the help and support they have given us , and I know will continue to give to help get me back in the water as soon as possible . MICK BATTYE , Street Sub-Aqua Club
In early April , Mark suffered a catastrophic brain haemorrhage and passed away aged 58 . The diving world will miss his generosity , friendship , energy , passion , knowledge and great sense of fun . He leaves behind his partner Ruth and two adult children , Natasha and Sam . NICK LYON , Orkney
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