On Monday, 28th October, new, life-saving equipment was officially unveiled at Lowestoft Railway Station in memory of a local resident with a railway career spanning over 40 years.

Following the unveiling, a training session for staff and volunteers at the station was provided by Jayne Biggs from Norfolk Heart 2 Heart.

The defibrillator was purchased by the family of Ronnie Dell with donations from his funeral. The equipment has been installed on Platform 2 at the town’s railway station, with the help of Gorleston based charity Heart 2 Heart Norfolk, and the Wherry Lines Community Partnership who helped arrange and fund the installation.

Ronnie began his lifelong railway career after leaving school in 1955, starting as a Messenger Boy for British Railways in the Lowestoft Goods Office, progressing up to the role of a Shunter in the Goods Yard, and later becoming a Guard on passenger trains. After becoming a familiar face on the Lowestoft to Norwich and Ipswich routes, Ronnie retired in 1997, after 42 years on the railways.

In May 2012 Ronnie had an aortic valve replacement at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. Following this, he spent time recuperating at Lowestoft Hospital and James Paget Hospital, where he received medical care from several departments including; The Vascular clinic, Oncology, Respiratory and Cardiology. The family chose to support the local charity Heart 2 Heart Norfolk in his memory, which is also supported by a member of the hospital cardio team after all the team were very good to Ronnie.

What did the officials say?

Ronnie’s niece, Carolyn Gosling said;

“After talking to Jayne Biggs at Heart 2 Heart and assessing where defibrillators are already in place, we decided to ask for a defibrillator at Lowestoft Station due to Ronnie’s link with the railway. “Being the only place that he ever worked, it seemed very fitting to have the installation here. The family are very pleased that the defibrillator is now in place, which will always be a lasting memory to him.”

Chair of the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership, Cllr Roger Foulger added,

“To donate a defibrillator at the station in memory of Ronnie was a very thoughtful gesture, the Partnership were pleased to support the installation of this life saving equipment.”

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