The 500 Club - Aslef

14 Key Worker the ASLEF JOURNALJon Beale: Safe journeyson the railways and seaWhen Jon beale isn’t wearing the uniform of the GreatWestern trains he runs out of Parr in Cornwall, he donsthe livery of a Coastguard. Since moving to the area in1997, he has played a part as a volunteer for thecoastal emergency service. Chris Proctor went to meethim …JON hails from a small village, buteven as a ten-year old he developed afascination with trains. From tinyBerkeley in the cotswolds he journeyed tocheltenham railway station at weekends witha school friend to see the trains.‘i was hooked,’ he says. ‘My tolerant parentstook me on trips - often using Kellogg’s cornFlakes tokens - to Paignton and places. theyenjoyed it - but i was awestruck!’After school, Jon worked in a hardboardfactory near his cotswold home. ‘it was achoice in our valley of that or the pork piefactory! All our family worked for one or theother.‘it wasn’t the job for me, but this was themid-80s when there were three millionunemployed, so you had to make sure you hadanother job to go to.’Jon sent rail applications all over thecountry, usually hearing nothing. But thenBescot invited him for an interview and hesoon started as a traction trainee. ‘i couldn’thave been happier!’the move to a bigger town was eased byhaving an uncle who put him up for a fewweeks while he found his way. it was, he says,exactly what he’d wanted.FORtUNE SMILEShe started as a second man in the summer of1987, later transferring to Gloucester to get hisdriver’s job. it was there he met wife irene, whois now secretary of the union’s St Blazeybranch. She was a guard then, but she toojoined the footplate, moving to Newport whenfreight work dropped off.‘A few of my Bescot mates had moved toParr. When i visited i thought it looked anattractive option. then i bumped into KeithNorman who told me there was a vacancycoming up, so i went for it.‘irene also applied and by a stroke of goodfortune four weeks later both our requestswere agreed. She was the first woman freightdriver in cornwall.‘there is a myth that to be accepted hereyou had to come over with the Normaninvaders, but actually there are very few locallyraised drivers at our depot. Anyway, irene isfrom Glasgow - so she soon puts people intheir place!‘We took to living here right away. i’m not acity boy and it’s away from the rat race. Andthen there’s the work content. it has itsmoments, like running down branch lines inthe summer.’GEttING INVOLVED IN CORNWALLAlthough both Jon and irene wanted to live ina relaxed place, they are not the sort to hangaround doing nothing. So while he“WE GO OUt IN ALLWINDS AND WEAtHER -tHE WINDIER tHEbEttER”volunteered for the coastguards, she workswith the sea cadets. ‘it gets you active in thecommunity,’ he says.Jon is always on call for the coastguards asit is an emergency service, but he got used tothis from an early age as his father was astation officer for the local fire station. ‘ithought about following his footsteps, but thecoastguard was an obvious choice because ifyou live near the sea, you want to be part of it.’Jon has always loved sailing, although thescope was limited when he was young – justthe Severn River and the water parks. But afterthey arrived in cornwall, irene and heinvestigated the local yacht club.John Beale doing his bit to keep the sea safe‘i began working on the safety boats theyneed to hold races. these are the first boatsout – marking the course – and the last onesback, because you follow to make sure no oneis in trouble. i do that whenever i can fit itaround shifts.‘We go out in all winds and weather. thewindier the better. you get out at sea andyou’re bobbing around on a boat and youhaven’t got a worry in the world.’i am rather unconvinced by this. i hint thatbeing in a small boat on a big sea mightactually be very dangerous. in fact, isn’t thatexactly why coastguards are so important? Jonsmiles as if i am a little demented and tells meabout the service.A CHANGED ROLE FOR HMCthe coastguard was set up 200 years ago tocombat smuggling, but now her Majesty’scoastguard is a government agency, which,like rail, comes under the department fortransport.The well-stocked Coastguard vehicle ispacked with stretchers, pegs, rope and otherrescue equipment