A 51-year-old Gravesend lifeboat helmsman, who has "dropped everything" to save the lives of 87 people, has clocked up 1,000 call-outs.

Dave Parry was launched to the milestone call-out earlier on April 7 - after more than 24 years protecting lives on the River Thames and beyond.

In that time he has rescued a total of 761 people, saved 87 lives and a dog called Billy. 

News Shopper:
Another key part of Mr Parry's role is train volunteers on the water

Mr Parry, who works at the Gravesend RNLI lifeboat station and as a volunteer lifeboat crew member at Whitstable, said: “I knew it was coming up.

“At the end of the day it’s just a number.

“The more significant thing is when we save a life or get someone out of a tricky jam.

“I could be shopping, eating my dinner or even asleep when the pager can go off so I will stop or drop everything and make my way to the station a few minutes away.”

Mr Parry’s most memorable rescue was in May sixteen years ago.

At 7 am Whitstable lifeboat was launched to a 16 ft angling boat called the Angelina trapped in winds reaching 50 mph and getting worse.

The first rescue attempt was aborted but by the time the lifeboat crew turned to make another attempt, the vessel had sunk.

Fortunately the boaters were able to escape and were rescued from the water by Mr Parry and his team.

Speaking to News Shopper about what it takes to be on the water, the former Croydon photocopier engineer said: “My advice is to look and have a think about it.

News Shopper:
Mr Parry has rescued a total of 761 people and saved 87 lives

“There is a commitment with training but it is extremely rewarding.”

Mr Parry started volunteering for the charity at Whitstable in 1992 but in 2002 he started as a full time helmsman with the RNLI at Gravesend.

In his volunteering days he remembers a serious callout in October 1996 when a Whitstable lifeboat was launched to a yacht on a fire.

Two boaters and their dog Billy were on board the vessel Panda that had become an inferno.

One passenger was successfully winched by a rescue helicopter but the boat soon exploded.

The second casualty and the dog were missing but after some time the man was found by Mr Parry and his crew.

The lifeboat launched again in search for Billy the dog who was wearing a lifejacket, but to no avail.

With no sign of the dog the search was called off.

The next day Billy was found on the beach - he was exhausted but alive and well.

At Gravesend the team operate a 12 hour shift pattern to ensure the station is manned 24/7, 365 days a year to reach incidents within 15 minutes of being requested to launch.

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