Tonight, during our Annual Team Dinner and Presentation Awards Evening our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE had the honour of presenting to our Life Vice President Tony McNally, a Long Service Award Certificate, issued by our regional mountain rescue organisation, the Mid Pennine Search and Rescue Organisation (MPSRO), recognising twenty years of service to Mountain Rescue.
Tony now aged 69, from Bolton, first joined the team in April 1991, and now some twenty years later continues to be a stalwart supporter and dedicated member of the team.
Tony was Team Chairman from 1992 through to 2006, a period of sixteen years during which Tony was instrumental in dealing with the many challenges and changes that occurred within the team throughout this period. (He remains our longest serving Chairman)
Tony McNally being presented with his 20 years of service certificate from MPSRO
He stood down from the active call out list membership of the team in 2006, being honoured for his service as Chairman, by being made a Life Vice President of the Team.
Since this time Tony has continued to serve the team in a very active supporting role.
For all of his time in the team, and a role he continues in to this very day, Tony has actively and very sucessfully sought grants, donations and sponsorship for the team, a role honoured by a Plaque in our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ recognising his massive contribution in securing this excellent facility, and also in the naming of a Team Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance in 1999, as ’Tony,’ and again repeated in April this year when one of our three brand new Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance vehicles was named ’Tony McNally II.’
Tony also played a huge part in gaining for the team the only UK Mountain Rescue Team ’Investors in People Award.’
Besides acting as our link to local MPs and Civic Dignitaries, Tony (As an ex teacher) also regularly visits schools to explain the work and role of the team to interested school children (and their equally interested teachers)
On receiving his award certificate, Tony addressed all present about how humbled he was and highly honoured to have received such recognition, explaining to all how much he has enjoyed the highs and indeed lows of his twenty years serving Bolton MRT.
