REMEMBERING VINNY

29 RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january/february 2025 :: RMTnews When falconer Dan Smith joins the train at Benfleet on the c2c line in Essex with his 23- year-old Harris Hawk named Elsa he causes quite a stir. Elsa is a rescue animal which Dan nursed back to health himself and today this beautiful bird is very much at ease with an inevitably inquisitive public. Dan works for GB Hawking which is contracted to clear railway stations including those from Barking to Shoeburyness. “Harris Hawks are very popular for use in falconry because they are relatively easy to control and, unusually, they work together with other hawks when hunting. “We use these birds of prey to deter pigeon populations from growing in public areas. “This is a real health and safety issue as droppings mix with feathers and when they dry out it represents a very real airborne health hazard for passengers,” he said. Cleaners on the rail network everywhere can testify to what a problem pigeon droppings represent to workers and members of the public alike. So, what does the public think of this arresting site on the morning train? “I get all sorts of reactions but generally people appreciate the beauty of a hawk. “Pigeons soon get to know when one is around and it deters flocks of them settling around the buildings we work around,” says Dan, a man with clearly a deep knowledge and affection for these magnificent animals. Merseyside rail members were saddened to hear of the recent passing of a railway legend and Union stalwart Vinnie Gumbs. He had a varied railway career starting off on the P- way and graduating to the footplate as a second man. With the demise of that role, Vinny redeployed to the welding department at Liverpool Edge Hill. It was in this role in early 1980 that I first met Vinny, when he attended a mysterious points run through at my signal box. The Trinidadian giant arrived with a gas bottle on his shoulder and the calming words “don’t worry lad we’ll sort this, no one will know” those were the days! Vinny became a regular attender at the then Liverpool No4 branch, now Central & North Mersey, where we became good friends and comrades. He had now moved again to the Ultrasonic dept, firstly at Edge Hill then in later years at Chester. It was the inception of the Black and Ethnic members advisory committee that brought Vinny Gumbs to the attention of the wider national union membership. He was a very unwilling participant at first and used to wag his finger at me with that infectious laugh, and say I pushed him into it, which was true. However, Vinny went on to become the national chair of the BEMAC. It was while he was in that role that a certain manager took a dislike to Vinny’s union activities. Whilst on a training course the manager posted a picture of a monkey on the notice board with words written on it linking it to Vinny and his union activity. Members outraged at this unbelievable act of vile racism, especially against someone who was so widely respected and loved amongst his fellow rail workers. The union’s legal team sprang into action and all measures were taken to deal with this outrageous racist attack. I was Vinny’s branch secretary at the time, and there were joyous celebrations at the legal victory that ensued. It was such a high- profile case that the regional TV news covered it on their main news, with live footage from a well-known Edge Hill establishment with Vinny downing a celebratory pint of his favourite “Golden” surrounded by cheering workmates. Vinny was a gentle giant of man with an infectious smile and a beautifully kind nature. He has a very large family, with many of his sons, daughters and grandchildren following him into a railway career, ensuring that the legendary Gumbs family name remains enshrined in the Merseyside railway DNA. REMEMBERING VINNY Former regional organiser John Tilley remembers Mersey rail legend Vinnie Gumbs HAWK ON THE LINE Falconer Dan Smith uses a Harris Hawk as pest control at Essex stations