FORMER fire station commander and community stalwart Barrie French is the new president of the Old Dartmothians.
He was elected at the association’s annual meeting last week and succeeds Jan Cowling.
Mr French, 67, was born in Dartmouth and has lived and worked in the town all his life.
As a child, he lived in Alma Cottage at the top of Browns Hill Steps and went to school at the old Dartmouth Primary School in Higher Street, now Holdsworth House, and the old Dartmouth Secondary Modern School in Victoria Road, now Victoria Court.
He left school at 15 to take up a six-year apprenticeship in letterpress printing at Tozers the Printers and stayed with the firm for the next 48 years.
Mr French has been a Dartmouth town councillor and is currently a trustee on Dartmouth United Charities and the Wilton Memorial Trust, two local housing charities that provide affordable accommodation for local people.
He has been associated with Dartmouth Rugby Club for over 40 years and is a vice-president of the club and president of the Past Players and Supporters Association. He is also the treasurer of the Stoke Fleming Table Tennis Club.
Mr French is probably best known for being a retained firefighter at Dartmouth fire station, where he was station commander for 13 years.
He retired from the station in 2009 after 38 years’ service and is currently the longest ever serving firefighter and station commander there has been in Dartmouth.
Mr French has been married to Elaine for 45 years and they have two married daughters and five grandchildren.
Barrie’s father, the late Albert French, received an MBE for over 50 years’ service to various organisations in the town and his father-in-law, Arctic convoy veteran Syd Thompson, famously did a parachute jump at the age of 93 to raise funds for the hospital league of friends.
Mr French said he was looking forward to the year ahead during which he hoped to take forward some community projects for the town.
The Old Darts annual meeting at the rowing club also saw David Kelland returned as chairman and Richard Rendle as secretary.
Barry Brehout is the new treasurer who takes over from Peter Norton, who retired from the position he had held since 2005.
Mr Norton received an honorary life membership award from the new president, who thanked him for all his hard work looking after the funds of the association.