Volunteer Spirit
by Ken White (2005)
in consultation with the Invergordon RNLI
Volunteer Spirit shows the previous Invergordon Trent class lifeboat, the RNLB ‘Douglas Aikman Smith’ (RNLI 14-08) which served in Invergordon from 1996 until 2021.
The smaller picture shows the Waveney Class lifeboat, ‘The White Rose of Yorkshire.”
Established in 1974, the Invergordon Lifeboat Station operates a Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, RNLB ‘Agnes AP Barr’ (RNLI 13-37). There has been a lifeboat station in the Moray Firth area since 1878.
“We love the name of this mural, chosen by the men and women of the Invergordon RNLI.
It could equally sum up the ethos of the whole mural trail.”
Invergordon Off the Wall committee, 2008
Before Photo and Ken Painting
“Later that year, aggregate tax, or Forward Scotland as it became known, funded the second Invergordon Mural. This time there were no restraints on the group or subject matter so we asked the lifeboat crew to work with Ken to depict the story of their volunteer group.
It emerged as a very straightforward portrayal of the present and past boats, the Douglas Aikman Smith and a smaller poster of the previous boat, The White Rose of Yorkshire in action.
The lifeboat crew were very keen that the mural should either have all the crew or none of the crew in the mural and Ken was not too keen on mass portraiture/spot the ball type paintings so the two figures you see are composites.
It was amazing how interested local people were.”
Marion Rhind, founder of Invergordon Off the Wall
History of the RNLI
The RNLI was actually founded as the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Lives and Property from Shipwreck in 1824. Thirty years later in 1854, the name was changed to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution – the RNLI – as it is known today. It was founder Sir William Hillary’s aim to provide a 24/7 search and rescue lifeboat service run, where possible, by volunteers and funded by voluntary donations.
