Red Cross honours for Déise man

Richie Purcell from Waterford was given a Long Service Award by the Irish Red Cross for his voluntary service of more than 40 years.

Richie is the longest-serving member of the Red Cross in the Waterford area, having become involved in the organisation through his father, who co-founded the Waterford branch.

"Before I was even a teenager he dragged me down to the Red Cross to stop me from causing trouble!" Richie laughed, "I liked it so much that I stayed involved with it down through the years."

"When I was younger, we covered everything, such as the Funfair in Lisduggan at the time," he reminisced, "It caused a lot of jealousy with my school friends because I was able to get the free rides down there!"

Through the Red Cross, Richie developed first aid and medical skills, which resulted in him going into the field professionally. Richie worked as a paramedic with the South Eastern Health Board, following 10 years of service as a retained firefighter with Waterford Fire Service, until he was forced to retire due to illness.

After his work as a paramedic, Richie redoubled his efforts with the Red Cross, focusing on training other people how to provide life-saving care. He said with pride that many of the people he had trained had gone on to become Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or paramedics, "It was fantastic to see, and that young people still have the interest in saving lives."

Richie is now the Branch Chairperson for the Waterford Red Cross, which has taken up a lot of his time in recent years. 

"In another two years, it'll be 50 years since I first joined the Red Cross," Richie explained, "I have a lifetime membership of the Red Cross now!"

Metropolitan Mayor Cllr Joe Kelly and Mayor of Waterford Cllr Jason Murphy attended the mayoral reception for the dedicated paramedic. 

Mayor Murphy said he was pleased to honour Richie for his service to the Irish Red Cross and praised his dedication to the service.

“As Mayor of Waterford City and County, I was pleased to honour Richie Purcell and his dedication to the Irish Red Cross at a recent Mayoral Reception," he said.

"Richie has been part of the Irish Red Cross for over 40 years. During that time, he has never turned down anything he was asked to help with. To have dedicated so much time to helping others is nothing short of amazing.”

Richie said that receiving the Long Service Award, after a few years, means a lot to him.

"It means a huge amount to me. It recognises how long I've been there, which is a huge achievement really as people have come and gone throughout the years."

He said that around Waterford he occasionally bumps into people he hadn't spoken to in many years that he had taught first aid to more than 30 years previously.

"They can remember what I taught them, or they can remember it was me teaching them. It's great to bump into them and to have the memories."

"To get the 40-year achievement means so much because it's a recognition of that service. There's a medal for the service as well, in which I have great pride and can wear on my uniform."

Richie thanked the other members of the Red Cross in Waterford for recommending him for the award, "I didn't know about the award until they were telling me I had to have a spotless clean uniform as I was going to meet the Mayor! 

"It meant a lot to me to be recognised by our own members too," he said. He appreciated the Mayor's words of trust in and appreciation for the Red Cross in his speech.