A FATHER whose son died in a fishing tragedy with three friends is questioning the lack of government action to prevent more inland water deaths.
Craig Currie, 30, Thomas Douglas, 36, William Carty, 47, and Stephen Carty, 42, died in March 2009 after their boat capsized in thick fog in Loch Awe, Argyll.
A fatal accident inquiry highlighted the need for a local rescue boat after emergency workers stood helplessly listening to the men's cries, but the situation remains unchanged at the loch, which has claimed 26 lives in 25 years.
Mr Currie's father, Les, 61, said: "You think 'okay, maybe now we will get something done', but four years along the line nothing has come from the Government. The only thing that has actually happened is what the volunteers at LochWatch have done."
More than 100 volunteers have joined Lochwatch, a local initiative to look out for anyone in trouble on Loch Awe, which, at more than 25 miles long, is the longest freshwater loch in Scotland.
LochWatch is trying to raise £220,000 for a purpose-built safety boat. In the meantime, £6000 donated by relatives of the four dead fishermen has been used to buy a small second-hand boat to patrol the loch at weekends and holidays from next spring.
While they do not have the resources to operate a dedicated rescue boat, Iain MacKinnon and Murray Humphries, who started LochWatch, are trying to raise £3500 to kit out the patrol boat with specialist navigation and scanner equipment. Their aim is to search the loch bed to try and find the Glasgow men's boat.
Mr Currie said: "It's brilliant what they are doing. But you would have thought the government would have thought 'let's give them a wee helping hand'.
"They need equipment for the boat. Surely there should be some sort of government grant to help equip it? It would be a drop in the ocean for them to give £10,000.
"It would be really something if they do find the boat as it might give a clue to what happened. Over the years there have been people lost in that loch that have never been found, so that sonar could possibly find the remains of those people and give their families some closure."
Mr MacKinnon said: "Mr Currie is right when he says there has been no action from the official channels. The boat we have in mind involves a big effort because it's a fair lot of money to raise so it's going to take a while.
"We have been looking for support for about a year now but it's just not happening. There is plenty of support in kind from the Scottish Government and the ministers think we are doing a great job, but they have not come forward with any hard cash."
A Scottish Government spokesman said it recognised the "important work of voluntary groups like LochWatch". "However, we do not provide individual funding for such organisations," he added.
"The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is working more closely with voluntary organisations to enhance specialist rescue facilities for communities across Scotland."
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