AN OKEHAMPTON man last week received his OBE from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Graham Payne from Jacobstowe was awarded the honour for his work as director and founder of the search and rescue charity RAPID-UK. Mr Payne said 'It was one hell of a day. 'I went into the palace and you've got the big red carpet and the lifeguards in their dress uniforms. 'And then I could see the Queen with Beefeaters and Ghurkas around her. The setting was just fantastic. I'll never forget it. Not in a million years.' He said that the Queen already knew all about RAPID-UK. 'As she gave me the medal, she said "I suppose you have to be on standby 24 hours a day",' said Graham. RAPID-UK operates in the UK and abroad in the search and rescue of casualties following major disasters. It also trains disaster management teams in areas of the world vulnerable to natural disaster, such as India, Columbia, Peru and Pakistan. Its specialist teams have rescued survivors from earthquakes, floods and hurricanes in more than 24 countries. Last week, just before Mr Payne received his OBE, they had been helping with the aftermath of the Indonesian plane crash.
