A LARGER-than-life character who spent more than two decades saving countless lives in perilous conditions on the Dorset coast, and a loving father has died.
Described as a cross between Rambo and Steptoe, Austin Barker was a hugely popular husband, father to six, and a friend to scores of people – including dozens of fellow crewmen from the RNLI Mudeford with whom he served for 22 years.
Austin Bernard Barker was born on May 27, 1947, as the oldest of three children.
He grew up in the small village of Box in Wiltshire and was schooled in Bath, where he would stay with his grandparents during the week.
A story fondly remembered by his family highlights an early example of his can-do attitude, involving a stringed instrument and a bus.
Young Austin wanted to play in the school band and the only instrument left was a double bass which, at the time, was much bigger than him. Due to its size, he was not allowed to travel with it on the bus to get home. Undeterred, Austin would routinely carry the instrument on his back and walk the three-mile trek back home.
It was also during this time Austin was first introduced to the beachside parish of Mudeford which was adopted by the Barker family as a second home. It would ultimately become the centre of Austin’s world.
Upon leaving school, Austin entered the world of employment with the General Post Office (GPO) in the 60s – which was eventually amalgamated into British Telecom, BT or Openreach as it’s known today. He remained employed with them throughout his working life, until he retired in 2010.
Austin married Kathleen (Kathy) in Chippenham in 1967 and they would go on to have two sons, Scott and Lee.
The allure of the south coast eventually proved too enticing for Austin, who moved to Dorset in the 70s before welcoming a daughter and son with his second wife in the early 80s.
The family loved their life by the sea, regularly riding in pedalos on the waters at Highcliffe beach. The children would play and be part of a rescue exercises with HM Coastguard while hidden on the cliffs of Hengistbury Head as would-be casualties – a light-hearted example of Austin’s urges to take to the sea in a more serious capacity.
As eldest son Scott recalled: “The RNLI was always a huge part of dad’s life. We spent time up in the coastguard look out on Hengistbury head, with the huge binoculars looking out across Christchurch Bay.”
It was on May 9 1980 when Austin finally joined the RNLI as a volunteer, which gave his children immense pride.
Scott again remembered watching his father cast off for operations to help people in need at sea, doing it with confidence and flair.
He said: “We were always very proud of dad’s involvement with the RNLI.
“Off they’d go to save another life in peril on the seas, we’d pull the trailer back up and sit waiting their return. You’d always get kids watching and asking questions, and with your chest pumped full of pride you’d announce, ‘yeah, my dad’s one of the lifeboat crew’.
“It was like being related to royalty. We’ll forever owe them a debt of gratitude to risk their lives in the safety of others.”
In the 1990s, Austin would welcome two more children with this third wife who he married in Bournemouth in 1996. They lived near the RNLI base in Mudeford.
Austin would ultimately step down from his RNLI role in 2002 after 22 years and five months of service, during which time he helped rescue up to 250 lives.
He would suffer from Parkinson’s disease in his later life but, undeterred, kept working his day job into his 60s.
In his final years, he lived in a home in New Milton but was regularly visited by the large family and friends he had amassed over time.
Austin Barker died on Sunday May 8. He was 74 years old.
He is survived by his six children, eight grandchildren, his father Howard (who turns 99 this year), his sister, brother, and RNLI comrades.
His ashes will be spread in June down the run at Mudeford Quay because, according to Scott, “the Quay was part of him, and he was part of the Quay”.
Long-time friend and colleague Pete Dadds said: “You may have crossed the bar for the last time, but the crew won’t forget you. Mudeford has lost one of her legends, fair winds and following seas.”
In Austin’s memory, the Barker family has raised more than £550 for the RNLI.
Visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/austin-barker?utm_term=64796jZgQ to donate.
Have you recently lost a loved one? Email andrew.goldman@newsquest.co.uk if you want to celebrate their life with the community.
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