Recent Achievements
1st August 2008
On Saturday the 26th July 2008 during the Glasgow Show two new boats were launched at the Glasgow Humane Society wharfage at Glasgow Green.
These were the first new boats of any kind built on the river Clyde upstream of the tidal weir for more that 50years and it is nice to see George Parsonage following in the family tradition of boat building.
The boats were named by Robert Winters Lord Provost of the City of Glasgow, blessed by Paulo Romano Chaplain to Glasgow City Council and a vote of thanks given by James Moffat Director of Glasgow Humane Society.
In 1954 Benjamin Parsonage built the last of a series of rowing boats (called the “Bennie”) specially designed by himself specifically for his life saving work (refer to boat “Bennie”).
George Parsonage had a mould of this boat made about 10 years ago and built a boat (not totally built in Glasgow Green) named Elizabeth, which is still well used by the Society and is named after Ben’s daughter Elizabeth. The mould for this boat was thrown into the river by vandals and never recovered.
Two years ago another first class mould was taken of the original boat and George spent much of the last two years building the replicas.
The distance from seat to rowlock, the height of rowlock above seat, the height of the seat above footboard, the distance between seats, every detail was thought out carefully by Benjamin Parsonage and the craft are fine tributes to his ingenuity and ability in design (again refer to boat “Bennie”).
Slight changes like the rounding of the stern keel to make entry to water down banking easier, the use of bolts instead of rivets and a new type of rowlock holder show that George Parsonage is still upholding the family and Glasgow Humane Society Officers tradition of producing craft ideally suited for the tasks undertaken by the Society.
One boat is called after Ben’s second daughter Ann and the other after George’s wife Stephanie.
The boats are fibreglass with oak and teak seats and gunwales. Steel and alloy bracing is used throughout the boat for strengthening.
These beautiful craft will be added to the Society fleet and will be used in the Society work of Safety, Prevention, Rescue, Search and Locate
It was a moving moment when the first person to row the new boats was the present Benjamin Parsonage son of Stephanie and George.
14th June 2008
Officers George and Antony on patrol during Republican March at Glasgow Green.
13th June 2008
On June 13th the Society held its AGM in the Glasgow City Chambers. An update will follow in the charities section.
17th December 2007
Search for missing man 17th December 2007
Glasgow Humane Society Officers were contacted over the weekend (Saturday 15th December 2007) with regard to the ongoing search for a man missing from the upper stretches of the River Clyde.
The man was seen to have jumped from the Garrion Bridge three weeks ago (Monday 26th November 2007).
A search involving Lifeboat Officers, Countryside Rangers and Strathclyde Park boatmen was organised for Monday 17th December 2007.
A briefing was held at 08.30 hours at Strathclyde Park, and then we were transported to the starting point for our search. The search party split into separate groups searching both banks down and upstream, after around two hours the missing man was located near to Addersgill, Strathclyde Police Force Control were informed of the locus and the search party stood down once Police were in attendance.
The Society continues to help serve the community; working in partnership with other agencies, this can make for good working practise and provide services that some agencies may not be able to provide.
Many thanks must go to North Lanarkshire Council for their excellent assistance and allowing staff from their Ranger Service and Boathouse to assist the Society in this search.
Groups involved:
Lifeboat Glasgow Humane Society
Strathclyde Park Countryside Ranger Service
Strathclyde Park Leisure Attendants
Barnes Haugh Ranger Service
Greenhead Moss Ranger Service
25th August 2007
On Saturday 25th August 2007 the Glasgow Humane Society held an open day for Directors and friends including a naming and launching of two boats and a blessing of all the Glasgow Humane Society craft.
Early Saturday morning saw the wharfage a hive of activity. The week had been spent mostly finishing off the customising of the boats, putting tape and names on, cleaning as best as possible, tidying up the wharfage and sheds and displaying historical and present day items.
The Officers George and Tony with able assistance of a large group of lifeguards resplendent in Society Uniform, were to be seen erecting gazebos and pop-ups, putting up tables and laying out displays and pamphlets. Plant boxes made by the Officers and plant displays and trees loaned by Parks together with flags flying from the four poles made for a splendid sight.
At 1000hrs the guests arrived from the Merchants House, The Trades House, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Councillors from Glasgow and East Dumbarton, individual Directors, Council employees with their families, friends, relatives and Riverwatchers. The donor of one of the boats was present along with his wife, Mr & Mrs Bob Barnes.
A woodwind trio played in one of the gazebos followed by a brass band that also played in the West Brewery where the after launching “tea” was held. Council photographer and friend Steve Hosie was there with his camera snapping away. Although there was some rain the ceremony went without a hitch.
The Reverend Father Paul Romano Chief Solicitor for the Glasgow City Councillor and family friend performed the naming and the blessing.
THE BLESSING OF BOATS INTRODUCTION
It is a great privilege to be with you not only is it a chance to acknowledge a great Glasgow institution but on a personal note I am lucky to count George as a true friend.
Why name and bless an inanimate object like a boat? Is it merely some throw back to a superstitious and un-enlightened age?
A plea, perhaps, to appease the angry gods?
No, whilst blessings and safety are not ignoble desires – indeed we will pray for that shortly - I hope you can see it as a recognition that these boats, old and new, represent something heroic – something noble: for they represent the means by which human life is rescued: the means by which the rescuers put the needs of others before their understandable desire for self-preservation. It is little wonder that naming and blessing of boats has such an ancient lineage – boats have been instrumental in feeding humanity – in pushing the boundaries of exploration to the furthest horizon – in our transport from place to place and in our sport and recreation. But for these particular boats of the Glasgow Humane Society I come back to issue of rescue and safety. In a Christian context these boats represent the vessels of God’s grace and the ultimate self-sacrificial love explicit in that regular rescue of distressed humanity for “greater love has no one than this that he be prepared to lay down his life for his friends.”
It therefore gives me the greatest pleasure to name this craft
“BOB Barnes”
And this craft
“ROBERT NATAHANIEL JONES”
LET US PRAY:-
MAY GOD FULFILL ABUNDANTLY THE PRAYERS WHICH ARE PRONOUNCED OVER YOU AND ALL THE BOATS OF THE GLASGOW HUMANE SOCIETY AND THEIR EQUIPMENT
MAY GOD BLESS YOUR GOING OUT AND YOUR COMING IN YOUR JOURNEYS AND THE NOBLE TASK OF RESCUE ON THIS GREAT RIVER:
MAY GOD ACCOMPANY YOU WHEN YOU SET FORTH
MAY MUNGO AND KENTIGERN BLESS THESE CRAFTS : MAY ANGELS DANCE ABOVE THEIR DECKS TO WARD OFF DANGERS FORE AND AFT AND ALL WHO SET SAIL MAY THEY PROTECT AND MAY ALL WHO CRUISE THIS MIGHTY RIVER TREAT IT ALWAYS WITH WISE RESPECT AND NO FOOLISH RISKS EVER TAKE.
IN NAME OF FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT AMEN.
After the ceremony the boats were launched down the slipway and anyone who wished was taken for a “sail”. Many volunteered.
Afterwards a fine reception was held in the West Brewery where a splendid feast was laid out. The brass band delighted everyone by for their finale playing “Rule Britannia”
With thanks to those who assisted
Lifeguards in attendance, Mark Craig, Sarah Macgregor, Martin Douglas, Colin Munn, Suzanne Waller, Colin Rae, Ian Sinclair, Stephanie Dancer, Riverwatchers Ray Percy, Benjamin Parsonage, Christopher Parsonage, Lynne Sinclair
14th August 2007
About 0730hrs Park wardens arrived at the House and requested my attendance at Alexandra Park where there was an injured swan in the pond.
On attendance I discovered that the swan had came out of the water and been captured. It had three cross bow arrows in it.
I assisted with the placing of it in a Park vehicle which was taking it to Hessilhead. I then accompanied Kenny Boyle (Director of Parks) on a walk round the Park to ensure as best we could that nothing else had been shot at.
18th May 2007
Glasgow Humane Society Officers again make use of Streetwatch who are fast becoming our “electronic eyes” on the river.
Eddie and I were approaching the door of the GHS house when Eddie turning round observed a man standing on the rail of the St Andrews Bridge west side near to the centre of the river.
Running for the gate with me hard on his heels, Eddie ran towards the wharfage while screaming at the man to get off the bridge. At that moment Eddie observed another man already in the water with the top of his head just showing. As I passed two men in the Park I requested that they run up and press the emergency button on the Streetwatch camera and tell them what was happening.
We raced out in the boat myself standing rowing while Eddie between shouting to try to get the man on the bridge to stand down was contacting the Police and Blochairn (Streetwatch turned their camera on the incident as requested).
The man in the water was having great difficulty reaching the banking but as long as he was still moving we were keeping just behind him all the time watching the man on the bridge as we were sure that he would also jump. We were a bit worried about going in to lift the man in the water into the boat while having another in the water behind us.
With our encouragement the man in the water pulled himself onto the banking. He was so drunk, drugged or exhausted that he could hardly pull himself up the banking but we were now concentrating on the man on the parapet who was shouting and swearing and challenging us to fight.
There was one other man on the bridge with him and he now persuaded his mate to climb down (still shouting and swearing). We had informed them that Police were on their way. The man who had been in the water staggered off up McNeil Street where we subsequently were informed by Riverwatchers Sarah and Bob that he had been picked up in a car by a woman.
The other two men moved along Adelphi St westwards. We followed them along in the boat as we were worried lest this man tried to enter the water at another locus.
At Moffat St we observed a car waiting to pick the men up. I raced the boat into the bank and Eddie raced up to the fence in time to note the registration number of the vehicle which he reported to Police. Two Police vehicles arrived and scoured the area for any sign of the vehicle.
Fire and Rescue vehicles arrived on the north bank and Eddie went across and spoke with them.
Eddie and I gave descriptions of the men and the car registration number to the Police Officers.
We thanked Streetwatch for their assistance.
17th May 2007
Clydesdale ARC 150th Anniversary Regatta
The Glasgow Humane Society is now two hundred and seventeen years old, which means it has been giving safety cover in one form or another for sixty seven years before Clydesdale held their first annual Regatta. Staggering to think that GHS Officers and volunteers were rowing on the river before Glasgow had a Police Force, before Strathclyde had a Fire and Rescue service and before there was a Tidal Weir
It was good to see so many rowers on the river in one day; however there was a time when this kind of activity would be the norm for any given weekend. A time when there were no handheld radios, no mobile phones and no motorboats to aid rescuers
Yet looking through the minutes of these days gone by rescue work was still fast and effective
One of our volunteer lifeguards carried out a fast and effective rescue at this regatta using exactly the same methods that would have been used over two hundred years ago, which goes to show that it still works, and works well
So before anybody makes any assumptions about fast boats and fancy phones being better than anything else for rescue they should take a serious look at the safety work carried out by the GHS and the excellent safety record on this section of the river
Our method is quite simple, we always use the equipment best suited to the environment we are working in. If we spent our time trying to please people’s perception of rescue we would buy big inflatable ribs with huge engines, throw on a pair of shades and probably cause more accidents than we could prevent, but at least we would look good.
Yes we use motorboats but only in the right circumstances just as we paddle canoes, slide down ropes or cycle along the river, but only when it is called for
So well done volunteer Lifeguard Ian Brown for carrying out an effective rescue by using the right boat at the right time
I would also like to thank George and all the volunteers (Ian, Tony, Mark, Jack, Graeme, Colin and Josh) who assisted in the safety cover during this enjoyable event.