A tribute to Robin Maggs of Swindon SAC
ROBIN MAGGS , TOGETHER with his wife Irene , joined Swindon Sub Aqua Club in 1971 . Learning to dive started a passion for the underwater world that was to last for the rest of his life .
Robin ’ s down to earth , nononsense attitude , problem solving skills and ability to make things happen stood him in good stead , not only working as a project manager in the construction industry , but in all aspects his life .
His skills were soon put to good use in the diving club when , in 1975 , he took on the role of managing the refurbishment of the club ’ s new premises . Under his guidance , and with a lot of assistance from club members , a derelict church was transformed into a purposely adapted building , with a boat garage , compressor room , lecture room , bar and dance floor .
In 1980 , he purchased a 45ft hard boat called ‘ Freedom ’ and for the next 24 years Robin was skipper on many dive trips on the South Coast and to the Channel Islands . Numerous members spent countless weekends diving and relaxing on Freedom and it was the platform for many a novice doing their first open water dives . Freedom was also the venue for many family fun weekends with his children .
Robin served as Swindon ’ s Chairman on a number of occasions , instigating and managing numerous projects . These included lifting a twoton anti-submarine gun from the wreck of the ‘ Venezuela ’, recovering a number of smaller artefacts and obtaining a grant to purchase and fit out a club RIB .
The club eventually outgrew its residential location with no parking and in 2007 , when the plans to build a new clubhouse were going nowhere and there was the possibility of the club folding , Robin again stepped in as Chairman and Project Manager . This time the plans were much grander – purchase the land , dig a hole for a pool and erect a building around it . The project dominated his and Irene ’ s lives for six years and resulted in a magnificent building opened in 2013 by David Bellamy . [ The full story is told in SCUBA 16 , March 2013 ]
Robin passed away peacefully just a month before his 71st birthday . Married while still in their teens , he leaves behind his wife of 52 years , two children and three grandchildren . To Swindon Sub Aqua Club , he leaves the legacy of the magnificent clubhouse which should serve many generations of divers to come . GILL MARSH
Real world rescue
GIBRALTAR DEFENCE POLICE Officer PC 24 Graham Earl has received a formal recognition by Chief of Police Rob Allen in a small ceremony held in the GDP Headquarters recently .
Graham was commended for his exemplary professionalism and skill in coordinating law enforcement vessels from both Gibraltar and Spain engaged in a search and rescue operation last year . He saved the lives of two persons who would otherwise have been lost to the sea .
A BSAC diver since 1986 , Graham trained initially with East Ham 604 BSAC , and is now an Advanced Diver & Open Water Instructor . Prior to moving to Gibraltar in 2013 , he had been a member of Brentwood SELO 177 BSAC since 2001 , where he undertook the Practical Rescue Management course as well as a number of other SDCs .
“ I ’ d like to take this opportunity to highlight to SCUBA ’ s readers the genuine value of Practical Rescue Management and all the other rescue related courses that BSAC has to offer ,” Graham told SCUBA . “ This was the third time I have had to fall back on this course knowledge to deal with a diving or maritime related incident .”
Chief of Gibraltar Defence Police Rob Allen commented : “ The incident was a search and rescue operation that was expertly coordinated by PC Earl . Without detracting from the skills of the various teams deployed at sea , PC Earl ’ s calm and methodical approach to the task enabled him to direct the marine crews to find these individuals and save their lives . I am delighted to be able to formally recognise his work .” BRITISH FORCES GIBRALTAR
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