At the age of 15, Brian Goodhew left school and, having failed to get an apprenticeship at Chatham Dockyard, went for a job as a galley boy on the Medway Queen paddle steamer.

The interview was at 3pm and by 4.30pm he was on board earning the princely sum of £3 for an 80-hour week.

That was the start of a new chapter which, little did he know, would remain with him for the rest of his life.

Brian's grandfather Henry Goodhew worked on her in the summer months when she was a pleasure boat steamer.

His parents went on trips to Southend during their courtship

And he married the cook's daughter, Shirley his wife of 59 years.

As soon as he was old enough to go out to the "deep sea", Brian joined the Merchant Navy and travelled the world.

He had a spell as a bus conductor and a bread delivery driver, but when the Medway Queen Preservation Society was formed in 1985 to restore the boat, Brian made sure he was at the helm.

A car accident injury prevented him from doing heavy work on increasingly demanding repairs.

So he volunteered to look after the society's publicity and raise awareness of the urgency to restore her to her former glory.

Brian has held this post for 30 years and has been instrumental in securing lottery grants and European funding.

Now at the age of 81, he has decided to stand down.

The Medway Queen was built in a shipyard in Scotland in 1924 and the following year was brought down to Medway to enter service on the Strood, Chatham, Southend and Herne Bay route.

She continued this until the beginning of the Second World War when she was requisitioned and converted for mine-sweeping duties.

In May 1940 she joined the flotilla of little ships rescuing 7,000 allied troops on the beaches of northern France.

This feat, over seven voyages, some lasting 10 hours, earned her the title of the "Heroine of Dunkirk".

In 1946/47 she was refitted and returned to civilian use, but by the early1960s, paddle steamers were struggling to compete and she made her last day trip to Southend in September 1963.

Two years later she was bought by three businessmen and towed to the Isle of Wight where she was turned into a nightclub and restaurant.

Disaster struck when she suffered hull damage and was semi sub-merged and in 1983 she was moved back to the River Medway on a pontoon.

After years of failed of attempts, the society secured backing from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund - but Brian recalls it was not plain sailing.

He said: "Our second bid was not accepted because of a 'lack of heritage'.

"That caused a national outcry and lottery bosses were called to explain at the House of Commons."

Shortly afterwards, they were awarded £1.8 million which was used to carry out extensive work on her hull in dry dock at Bristol.

After years of reconstruction, she was towed to Medway in 2013 and remains at her current mooring at Gillingham Pier.

Brian said "the big jobs" had now been done, thanks to the tireless band of volunteers who turn up at the workshop on the pier.

And also the interest and generosity of well-wishers.

Only recently they were paid a surprise visit by actor couple Prunella Scales and Tim West.

Prince Michael of Kent has given the project the royal seal of approval.

In May, an anonymous benefactor made a £50,000 donation and the society's 500 members worldwide offer constant support.

Brian has many happy memories of his involvement with the Medway Queen over 66 years.

For example, the Dunkirk commemorations in Ramsgate to mark the 75th anniversary of the evacuation.

He said: "I gave interviews to five radio stations, including a German network and two TV stations.

"I shall be in the background if needed. After all the Medway Queen is friend to me, part of my family."

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