New Year Honours: Search and rescue volunteer ‘proud and privileged’ with award of OBE

Sean McCarry, from Co Antrim, is regional commander for the Community Rescue Service (CRS), a charitable lowland rescue organisation which has a team of 300 volunteers who cover all of Northern Ireland searching for missing people.

Mr McCarry said: “This is a recognition not of myself but of the community who support the rescue service, the many volunteers, their families, for those, past and present, who have been involved, who built up this organisation.

“It is also very much a recognition for those families, who, despite having gone through so much trauma, go back out every day and get on with life, some who live with memories of loved ones they have lost and who support our organisation.”

The CRS was founded in 2007 and responds to more than 400 missing person and emergency incidents every year, with members volunteering in excess of 90,000 hours of their time.

With Northern Ireland having particularly high suicide rates, the callouts often involve extremely harrowing and distressing circumstances.

The organisation was involved in the high-profile search for missing teenager Noah Donohoe last June.

The 14-year-old pupil from St Malachy’s College was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast, six days after he went missing.

Mr McCarry said: “Our organisation is very, very busy and it is entirely staffed by volunteers.

“It is for the entire community.

“I wouldn’t be in a position personally to accept this if I didn’t believe it was on behalf of every member and volunteer and the entire community. That is where we get our support.

“On that basis I am very proud and privileged to receive this honour on behalf of the entire community.”

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