0:00:02 > 0:00:04'Extraordinary stories from a shared past.'
0:00:04 > 0:00:06There was 12 people on board the aircraft that day.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Six of us made it, six of us didn't.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10'Bonds forged in tragedy...'
0:00:10 > 0:00:11I'm really sorry.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12'..and triumph.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:17The little girl that you helped 15 years ago.
0:00:17 > 0:00:18'Brought together by fate...'
0:00:18 > 0:00:21It just...overwhelmed me a bit.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23'..but separated by time.'
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Where did all those years go?
0:00:25 > 0:00:28'Decades on, we reunite them.'
0:00:37 > 0:00:40They say life can change in the blink of an eye.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43But for good fortune in just one moment in time,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45things can be so different.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47And so it was with this story -
0:00:47 > 0:00:52a dramatic sea rescue back in the summer of 1990,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56where a little boy's life was saved by the selfless quick thinking
0:00:56 > 0:00:58of a group of strangers.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Richard Shortland was just 12 years old
0:01:12 > 0:01:16when a family trip to the seaside at Castlerock on the north coast
0:01:16 > 0:01:20took a dramatic and potentially disastrous turn for the worst.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27He owes his life to the snap decision of three
0:01:27 > 0:01:31complete strangers, who put their own lives at risk to rescue him.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33He's never had the chance to say thank you,
0:01:33 > 0:01:38but now, more than 25 years later, he will.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48- Richard?- Jo.- Hello.- How you doing? - Lovely to meet you.- You too.
0:01:48 > 0:01:49- How are you doing?- Come on in.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52- I'm fine, thank you. - Oh, this is lovely. Nice and warm. - Come on in.- Thank you.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59- Take me back, if you will...- OK. - ..to the summer of 1990.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01I was pretty free.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04It was a good life. Er...
0:02:04 > 0:02:06I always went on wee breaks with my dad -
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Giant's Causeway, all around, you know.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11- On the 22nd of July, then...- Yeah.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Take us through that morning. Who was in the car that day?
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Well, there was my dad, my stepmum and my full sister, Andrea,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22stepsister Sonia, my stepsister, Donna,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26my friend, Simon and my sister's friend, Jennifer.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30- We were all in the wee bus. - There was quite a squad!
0:02:30 > 0:02:31Quite a squad of us.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I suppose the way they saw it, the more the merrier.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36- And the sun was shining?- The sun... It was a good day.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Pretty much when we arrived, me and my friend disappeared,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42explored and went round the beach.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44The picnic was all set up, the big blanket was down,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48and we all decided to go in for the swim. Ran straight in.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50The waves were good.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54They were strong waves and we were jumping about, having fun.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00But very quickly, the three youngsters were out of their depth
0:03:00 > 0:03:03and on the wrong side of the breaking waves.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07And then, all of a sudden,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11we realised that we were getting a wee bit further out from it
0:03:11 > 0:03:14and we turned around and started swimming to get back in.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17- And what was going through your mind at that time?- Panic.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Just adrenaline, panic. It was, er...
0:03:21 > 0:03:23I just knew...
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Every time I stopped swimming, I looked up and I could see...
0:03:26 > 0:03:30getting further away and Sonia, she kept swimming back
0:03:30 > 0:03:33and grabbing me and saying, "It's OK, it's OK," you know.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36"Keep swimming. Just keep swimming."
0:03:36 > 0:03:40It was very scary. It was like going down a slide.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43It just pushed you out further and further, very, very quickly.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Sonia - she had...
0:03:48 > 0:03:51She had to break free. She broke away.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54She had to break away - she had no choice. She broke away and...
0:03:56 > 0:03:59On her face, there was a lot of terror, doing that.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00You could see her...
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Like, her heart breaking when she had to do it. Er...
0:04:05 > 0:04:07She said she had to go. And...
0:04:10 > 0:04:12..she just let go and that was it.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Did you just feel defeated at that point?- Yeah.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19I lay on my back, because I was giving up and I was looking up
0:04:19 > 0:04:26at the sky, praying to God, and the waves were so far in front.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29The beach was getting further and further away.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Sonia and their friend, Simon, made it to the beach -
0:04:33 > 0:04:37but time was running out for 12-year-old Richard.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Desperate and alone, his fate hung in the balance.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48However, around the coast at Portstewart, help was at hand.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56Seamus O'Neill was in his boat, water-skiing with his children
0:04:56 > 0:04:57and two friends.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Well, Seamus, hello.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- How are you, Jo?- Lovely to meet you.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Look at this place. Portstewart - hard to beat.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Yeah, fantastic place to come.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12The Mayday call had been issued
0:05:12 > 0:05:16and only by chance did the water-skiers happen to hear it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19The boat's radio hadn't been working for two years and they'd only
0:05:19 > 0:05:23just got round to fixing it that morning - a move that would
0:05:23 > 0:05:25save young Richard's life.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43- So you were skiing just over here? - Yeah, just over there.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46And I heard a noise and didn't know what it was.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I realised it was the radio. We stopped and listened to it.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52It was the lifeguard and they said that
0:05:52 > 0:05:55any vessels in the vicinity of Castlerock,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59make their way there because there were some people in distress.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I said, "Guys, we don't know what we're going in for here."
0:06:02 > 0:06:05There was proper life jackets in there under the seat
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and we put them on us and lucky enough we did,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10because whenever we got to the mouth,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12the whole situation had changed.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14It was darkened down, the waves started to get choppy.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17It was very, very rough.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Unsure of what or whom they were looking for,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25the men scoured the waves, hoping to find something.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Where you silently anxious about what you might find?
0:06:30 > 0:06:33It was a three-man effort, like. We were always hoping all the time.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36We were shouting to each other, "Do you see anybody?
0:06:36 > 0:06:39"Do you see anybody?" I said, "Look, guys, I'll look in the front.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43"Thomas, look you to the left. Barry, look you to the right."
0:06:43 > 0:06:46So, by this stage, things are getting pretty treacherous?
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Yeah, they were. The waves were very, very, very treacherous
0:06:49 > 0:06:51and the waves were very high.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I didn't think anybody would survive.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56So in your heart, were hopes fading?
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Oh, heart was jumping, jumping out of our skins.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Like, frantically looking for him, thinking,
0:07:02 > 0:07:03"Here, this guy must be dead.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06"We can't see him. He couldn't get out this far."
0:07:08 > 0:07:11And just when they thought all hope was lost,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13they spotted something on the horizon.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Well, the first person to see it was Thomas.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21He said, "There he is, there, there he is, there,"
0:07:21 > 0:07:25and when we looked over, we seen the head of a person, like.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Motionless and floating on top of the water,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31the men knew they had only moments to get the young boy onto the boat.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37Barry jumped off the side of the boat and jumped out and swam over.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38I told him to come back again and I said,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40"Here, Thomas, there's a life jacket.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44"Jump you out, give Barry a hand and put that onto the lad somehow."
0:07:44 > 0:07:47The boys brought him in and I hauled him up into the boat.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Out of the water, but not out of harm, it quickly became clear
0:07:54 > 0:07:58that young Richard needed immediate medical attention.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02We threw all the clothes we had in the boat on top of him
0:08:02 > 0:08:04to get him warm, because he was actually blue.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Like, you hear people saying, "Oh, he was blue." This guy was blue.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12He was nearly black. We thought he was very close to death.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16This was a young lad, you know. We didn't know...
0:08:16 > 0:08:18I didn't know the age he was, like, but I knew
0:08:18 > 0:08:22he was younger than my own son that I left off at Portstewart.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26And, you know, it was hard to see...
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Just to see him lying there, you know?
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Then, on the horizon, they spotted a lifeboat approaching.
0:08:35 > 0:08:41The lifeboat would never have reached him in time. That lad was...
0:08:41 > 0:08:45He was... The waves were just throwing him about the place.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50I just can't even, to this day, think how he stayed alive.
0:08:50 > 0:08:56Seamus and his fellow boatmen have never seen Richard since that day.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59But they will get to meet and when they do, the young boy's father
0:08:59 > 0:09:03and stepmother want to be there to say their own special thanks.
0:09:09 > 0:09:1225 years on from the dramatic rescue,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Tom and Sandra Shortland are returning from their home in Spain
0:09:16 > 0:09:20to meet, for the first time, the men who saved their son's life.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26But first, I want to get their perspective
0:09:26 > 0:09:28on what happened that day.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Give us a flavour of what was going on on the beach at that time.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35We heard a bit of commotion going on and we turned and thought,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39"What's happening?" And then we were standing by the edge of the water.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Suddenly we kind of knew that Simon, Richard and Sonia
0:09:43 > 0:09:46were the ones that were out in the water.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50And, er, eventually, Sonia came,
0:09:50 > 0:09:52coming out of the water in hysterics.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54And she was crying,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57"I've had to leave him there, I've had to leave him there."
0:09:57 > 0:09:59And... Ooh, sorry.
0:10:01 > 0:10:02It's OK.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Sonia, in her moment of panic, of course -
0:10:07 > 0:10:10anybody would be - knew exactly what to do.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Told Richard to get on his back and paddle.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15She even gave an example.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17And giving that example, she was paddling away from him.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21- Ooh, sorry!- It does, it digs deep! - I know.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Just talking to her about this the other day just made me realise -
0:10:36 > 0:10:39we nearly lost two that day.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45It was... It was... It was scary.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47A terrible, terrible feeling.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50An experience that you would never wish upon anybody.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Unable to swim out to Richard,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56all they could do was watch helplessly from the shore.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02All I could see on the horizon - a minute figure.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05A spot like that, which was Richard's head.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Because the coastguard had binoculars,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10he could see clearly what was happening and he was able to
0:11:10 > 0:11:13relate to us that he's still alive and he's still floating.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16And people were actually on their knees on the sand,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19praying for this boy out in the water, you know?
0:11:19 > 0:11:22And he just was getting further and further away.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25At that time, you thought you were about to lose him?
0:11:25 > 0:11:27For one moment, I didn't think he would survive.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Just one statement from Sonia, the daughter, who actually said,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33"Get onto your back."
0:11:33 > 0:11:36That possibly saved him and gave him that time until the boat came.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40At what point, then, did you know that Richard had been saved?
0:11:40 > 0:11:44The boat came along and radioed in to say they'd picked up
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Richard and, of course, we were elated.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49There was an "amen" and "praise God" and all that.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52All around us, people were praying and then they were thanking God.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58It was a moment of joy. Boy, it was a moment of joy and blessing.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04And thankfulness that everybody is safe.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Every one of them was safe.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08You know, rushing, getting to the hospital,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11making sure he was alive, that he was going to survive this -
0:12:11 > 0:12:14that was really what was uppermost in our minds.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19And taking him home to his mum in one piece.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21It was a life-changing moment.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23The people on that boat changed our lives.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26I'd like to hug them and say thank you.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29A big thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Later in the programme, they get to do just that.
0:12:33 > 0:12:3525 years on, Richard and his parents
0:12:35 > 0:12:39are reunited with the men who saved his life.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41- Hello.- Hi.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56They say a picture paints a thousand words.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Even decades on, a painting or photograph can bring us right back
0:13:00 > 0:13:03to a time in our lives, sometimes long forgotten.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09To a time that's so far removed from life as it is now
0:13:09 > 0:13:12that we hardly recognise ourselves in the image.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15That's how a group of university students reacted
0:13:15 > 0:13:19when we reunited them with their rebellious selves.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22MUSIC: Wild World by Cat Stevens
0:13:25 > 0:13:30The year was 1971. Edward Heath was Prime Minister.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Decimalisation had just been introduced.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36And internment without trial was about to unleash mayhem
0:13:36 > 0:13:37in Northern Ireland.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49We'd become a place of protest.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Violence on the streets was ritual.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57But in March that year, Belfast city centre would play host to
0:13:57 > 0:14:00a protest of a very different kind.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04The annual Rag Day takeover by students.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13The youthful high jinks, a welcome relief to a Troubles-torn city.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Among the throng that day,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29geography student and want-to-be photographer Norman Craig.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36I was a young man who wasn't quite sure what he was going to do next.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38The fact that I had a camera made me, perhaps,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40a bit cool, but I must admit, I didn't think of it in those days.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42There were cool dudes there.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44I certainly wasn't one of them.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Armed with his camera,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Norman followed the student parade from Queen's University
0:14:52 > 0:14:54to Royal Avenue, snapping as he went.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Rag was just something subversive about it, when you're given licence.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06The police were standing back. They were seeing us,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09but they were allowing terrible things to happen!
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- Complete freedom, as you say. - Complete freedom.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16And things were becoming that much tighter in security style.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Maybe that made it all the sweeter.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Black-and-white reminders of a life long since forgotten.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Now respected citizens, like the former Irish President,
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Mary McAleese, seen here enjoying a more carefree and colourful day.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39That's a fine figure of a young man, I must say.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Belfast city councillor, the PUP's John Kyle,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47had no idea the photo of his rebellious past existed.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51My hairnet and rollers had come out a bit.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53But, yes, that is me.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55I cannot deny it.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57I modelled myself on Ena Sharples,
0:15:57 > 0:16:02so I went for my granny's hairnet and her rollers and her nightie.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08There was that element of fun and, er, it was like a circus.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Also caught on camera back then by the rookie photographer,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16now-retired consultant psychiatrist Stephen Compton,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18one of the ringleaders in the kidnap
0:16:18 > 0:16:21of some unsuspecting members of the public.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25Kidnap people and hold them to ransom in the hope
0:16:25 > 0:16:29that members of the public would have donated into the box
0:16:29 > 0:16:32to get their partner or companion back.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Just like the others, 45 years on,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Margaret Byrne is surprised to see herself.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46This is the one that I'm in... We're on the float.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Although I was in the parade,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I was observing what was going on around me.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52I was just watching and enjoying it.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56I was a very innocent young 18-year-old.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59It was a day like she'd never seen before
0:16:59 > 0:17:03and Norman's photos have brought back all those memories.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07We started out nice and clean and by the time we came back,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09we were just doused in flour.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12There's kind of a joyousness about those photos.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15You can see just how happy...
0:17:15 > 0:17:18And it's like we got happier the more we got covered in flour,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20for some reason.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22I think it was almost like a rite of passage, you know,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24that we were christened with flour.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33A rite of passage for every student throughout the decades,
0:17:33 > 0:17:37but it was only by chance that the memories in Norman's photographs
0:17:37 > 0:17:39weren't forgotten for ever.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Never actually did print them.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Within a couple of months of taking them, I was off to London,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50so they were in the loft for a couple of decades.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- I was eventually told, "If you want those, you'd better take them."- Wow!
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- So...- And when you looked at those negatives,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56what was your initial reaction?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58My initial reaction was, "Do you know what?
0:17:58 > 0:18:01"You're a better photographer than I thought you were, Norman."
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Norman's refound photos now provide a chance for the former students
0:18:05 > 0:18:09to look back at themselves with the eyes of hindsight.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12There was a darkness over Belfast in those days.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15I mean, you know, terrible things were happening,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17and you'd be working in casualty, and people would be coming in
0:18:17 > 0:18:21having been kneecapped and stuff like that.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25So, I think being able to laugh and being able to laugh at yourself
0:18:25 > 0:18:27is really important.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Margaret Byrne is now retired after working for 35 years
0:18:31 > 0:18:35as a social worker, a job her 18-year-old self would have
0:18:35 > 0:18:37been very proud of.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Well, while I liked to have fun, you know, there was definitely
0:18:40 > 0:18:43a serious side to me that wanted to do something in the world,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46you know, that would be of benefit.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Looking back to his rebellious days,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Stephen Compton is just as philosophical.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55I was able, at one point, to have a good time.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56And I'm not, you know...
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Even though you're old and sensible.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Older and wiser, it's time for the one-time rebellious students
0:19:05 > 0:19:09to go back to the place where they caused all that mayhem.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Hey, I know... I thought you were to blame for this. OK.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17- How are you doing? - You haven't changed a bit.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20I think... I think I look pretty good there, actually.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21- Actually...- I'm amazed.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23- I fancied you myself, actually. - Yeah, I know.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Joining the party next, Margaret.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Hello. Margaret Byrne.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29This is me here.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- Oh, that's you? - MARGARET LAUGHS
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Budding photographer Norman Craig has lived in London
0:19:35 > 0:19:36since he graduated.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38- All of these people... - Oh. Oh, my God.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41You are John Compton's little brother.
0:19:41 > 0:19:42Yes, that's right.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44- And I'm the man who took those pictures.- Ah.- See...
0:19:44 > 0:19:46You're Craig...
0:19:46 > 0:19:50- So that's why the name's ringing bells all the time.- Gosh.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51And which one was yours?
0:19:51 > 0:19:53- Simon, yeah.- Yeah...
0:19:53 > 0:19:55- I thought I'd clicked in that one. - Yeah.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57- It's his new election poster. - The picture...
0:19:57 > 0:19:59That was me in my...
0:19:59 > 0:20:01- How I dressed, as a hippie, in those days.- Uh-huh.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- All these people are looking at the camera.- That's good.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05Uh-huh. They're aware of it, you see.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Acting to the camera, but I'm just, like, mesmerised.
0:20:08 > 0:20:09Look, that's me, there.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Ah, really?
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Can you believe, I've never actually seen the prints?
0:20:13 > 0:20:19It wasn't until 2006 that I got them out and started putting them
0:20:19 > 0:20:23on the web, and I've never actually seen these printed.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28Finally, photographer, photos and subject reunited.
0:20:28 > 0:20:29Yes. Oh, dear, well,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32I'm not sure whether to thank you or not, but...
0:20:32 > 0:20:33But, well... But fabulous photographs.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Well, thank you for dressing up and letting me take it.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41It's just been really delightful and stimulated even more memories,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45and very happy memories, so it's been lovely.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Well, meeting Norman was really interesting.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49When he came along and introduced himself,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53then it all began to fit together, so that was, erm...
0:20:53 > 0:20:54That was quite a surprise.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58I've done adult things, you know, I've brought up kids,
0:20:58 > 0:21:03all that sort of stuff, but I'm still a boy back there.
0:21:03 > 0:21:04I still am.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Time passes, we all move on and change,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13but sometimes not as much as we think we have,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16and a simple photo can remind us of that.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32Richard Shortland owes his life to three complete strangers
0:21:32 > 0:21:36who, without a second thought, rescued him from the sea.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Today, for the first time in the quarter of a century since,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43he's returning to the place where it all happened -
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Castlerock Beach on the north coast.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54It feels like I was just...
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I want to say thank you to the sea,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58in a certain sense, for giving me back.
0:21:58 > 0:22:04And I recognise the strength in the element of the sea,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08and, as much as I was at its mercy that day, it gave me back.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19- Hi.- Hiya, Jo.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21- How are you doing?- Not too bad.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22Nice to see you again.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28- Today's the day...- I know.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32..and I can tell you that Seamus and Barry and Thomas...
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- Are here?- ..are just over there on the beach to meet you.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37- OK.- So, go for it. Good luck.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39All right.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Hi, guys. I've been sitting, trying to think of what to say, and...
0:22:56 > 0:22:57Never mind.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Hello there. It's good to see you in this kind of weather.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03I suppose you're going to go back out there today...
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- HE LAUGHS - Thank you.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Cheers, man.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10- You don't have to say anything. - No, nothing to talk.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12We done something that anybody would have done, not any different.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14No, they would not have. That's not true.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16If that was me... You've got two lives.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Well, I did. I have a lot to show you.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20I have a lot to say in that sense.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Remember me swimming over to you in the water?
0:23:22 > 0:23:24- Aye, I can remember one of you jumping out, then.- It was me.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27You said to me when I swam over to you, "I thought I was dead."
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- I did. I was ready to go. - "That's it," you said. Yeah.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32The right place, the right time.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Unreal. I'd gave up at that time, cos you...
0:23:34 > 0:23:37When I saw... I saw you out of the corner of my eye,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39and you jumping in, the fight went back in me.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42You were sent like angels - honestly, you were.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45And Richard isn't the only one wanting to thank
0:23:45 > 0:23:47his angels of the sea.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52His dad Tom and stepmum Sandra have waited 25 years for
0:23:52 > 0:23:55their moment to finally say thank you.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Hello.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Hi. How are you? Hi, Tom.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07- I'm Tom.- You're Tom? By the way, there's two of us.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Wow, this is a day and a half.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Undoubtedly! This is a lovely day.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15- Yeah. - LAUGHTER
0:24:15 > 0:24:17All right. I came and went.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Wow, a lot of emotions are running here.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- You never thought of it? - Absolutely not. Absolutely not, no.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24- Yeah?- Just, ooh...
0:24:26 > 0:24:29I just wanted to show you some of the paper readings
0:24:29 > 0:24:30of that time, with it...
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Oh, my, look at those bits of paper.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Did you ever see that? Have you seen that?
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Now, that's... Oh, no, I didn't see that one.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40- Oh, my. - "I thought my son was going to die."
0:24:40 > 0:24:43- And this is you.- Hey, Seamus, you were a handsome young man.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45- Wow! This is you. - LAUGHTER
0:24:45 > 0:24:47What happened to you?
0:24:47 > 0:24:48Oh, wow.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51You guys must have slept really good that night.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52- We did, but actually... - With a heartfelt...
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Not at the time, we didn't think of it. At the time...
0:24:54 > 0:24:56But see after, when you think of it, you know,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59as you get grandchildren and stuff of your own, as you'd know,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02and different things, and, you know, you start to realise it now.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06I have to say, you three guys changed our lives,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- because we could have gone in a bad direction.- Mm-hmm.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11We could have lost a son, but it's not just losing the son -
0:25:11 > 0:25:13it's your life afterwards, knowing that you took a son out there
0:25:13 > 0:25:16- and he died and drowned, and you've got to live with that.- Yeah.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18It's not just pulling the boy out of the water.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20You've turned our life around, and I think that was the best thing.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Yeah, and it could've been really, really different.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25And I honestly say, I put my hand on my heart, I am so thankful.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Everything pointed that morning to us
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- being there and saving him. - Absolutely.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Especially with the radio that had not worked for two years,
0:25:33 > 0:25:34like, let's face it, like.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36That a miracle in itself, isn't it?
0:25:36 > 0:25:39I just think, and I've got to say, I do believe God was in all that.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- Absolutely, absolutely. - God was with us there,
0:25:41 > 0:25:42if you believe in anything, yes.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45So, Richard, what was it like for you to meet these guys?
0:25:45 > 0:25:47It...
0:25:47 > 0:25:50- It's hard to describe. It was a big moment.- Wow.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52- A big moment for us, as well as being you.- I'm sure.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55It's hard to put words into motion, but...
0:25:55 > 0:25:57I want to show you some photos of my family.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59You've brought them to life, as well as myself.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01I have four sons and they're fit and healthy boys.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05From that rescue, you did miracles,
0:26:05 > 0:26:06because this is my family here.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13My two eldest boys, Jake and Daniel.
0:26:15 > 0:26:16Two fine-looking chaps.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19- They take after their father. - LAUGHTER
0:26:19 > 0:26:23That's the wee man, two and a half, Lucas.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Richard and his family owe so much to the strangers that went to
0:26:27 > 0:26:28his rescue that summer's day...
0:26:28 > 0:26:29God, God's miracle...
0:26:29 > 0:26:32..and, as a token of his thanks, he's brought a small gift
0:26:32 > 0:26:36for each of the men so they never forget what that means.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45"..and the roots spring up and make new trees.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50"Thank you from Richard, Gail, Jake, Daniel, Troy and Lucas."
0:26:50 > 0:26:52- That's fabulous. - Thank you very much.- You're welcome.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Well, really, from the bottom of my heart, I really...
0:26:54 > 0:26:58I can't thank you enough. I'll never forget your faces.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01I won't forget any of your faces. Thank you so much.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Thank you so, so much.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07- It's been a really emotional time for us.- Yeah.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10- And for us as well, like.- Yeah.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14I'm reading the paper here, August 1990,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and it says, "Thanks."
0:27:16 > 0:27:17- That's it.- Yeah.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19I thought my son was going to die.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22Yeah.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25It's so bizarre, hearing it from the...
0:27:26 > 0:27:28- Thank you for this.- Thank you.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Thank you. Thanks, guys. OK?
0:27:32 > 0:27:35OK, not a problem.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36No, you'd do the same for me. Yeah.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39- Goodbye, Tommy.- In the bar, a wee Tommies' get-together, all right?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Yeah.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42A big impact.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46To see the people and see what we saved,
0:27:46 > 0:27:47to see these families...
0:27:47 > 0:27:51It created another four kids and, you know, it...
0:27:51 > 0:27:54It's brought it back home again that it's...
0:27:54 > 0:27:55It's just...
0:27:55 > 0:28:00It's just they've overwhelmed me a bit, so...
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Coming back here after 26 years is pretty intense.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10I'm glad it's happened.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12It's a very happy day.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20A life that could so easily have been cut short -
0:28:20 > 0:28:23a family that would never have been -
0:28:23 > 0:28:26and now, after all those years,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29they've finally been able to say thank you.