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Canadian Red Cross Atlantic Canada leader retires

​John Byrne, who turned a summer job teaching water safety​, into a 40 year career with the Canadian Red Cross, retired Tuesday.

His work took him from his home in Corner Brook, Newfoundland to Southeast Asia, Haiti and the former Soviet Union. All of his travels organized in the wake of a natural or man-made disaster.

The only constant, he says, the need for help.

"Worldwide the humanitarian need has increased significantly," said Byrne. "The way that we operate during a disaster has changed dramatically. One thing hasn't changed of course is the need."

Bryne managed Red Cross operations in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia before being named Director General for the Atlantic Region.

In 2012, the organization put him in charge of disaster management for the entire country. Two weeks ago he was presented with the Order of Red Cross, the highest honour from the organization.

During his four decades with the Red Cross he took part in the largest relief efforts of our time, but for him, one international effort stands out.

"The great tsunami of 2004 when 263,000 people that we know of lost their lives," he said.

Plans include RV travel

He was impressed by how generously Canadians responded to that, by donating more than $360 million.

Here in Canada, Byrne also saw his share of heartache and suffering.

He singles out the flooding in Calgary in 2013 which affect more than 110,000 people and the freight car derailment and fire in Lac Megantic, Quebec.

"This was just a huge devastation to a community", he said. "You know never mind the fact that 47 people lost their lives in that, I mean the whole community was devastated and will be devastated for quite some time."

For someone with such extraordinary ​work ​experience,​ ​his retirement plans are relatively commonplace.​

He and his wife have sold their home in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia and bought an RV.​

"Plan to spend some time in the south in the winter and spend my time back in Nova Scotia in the summer and catch up on my grand​kids and my kids and go from there," he said.