Thanks to Bob Ward for the reminder about the open nature of the aus-soaring list.
My input for the day is my reflection on how we rework our memory as time goes on. Recent instances I noted in passing: - the last national magazine editorial noted the passing of senior participants in our sport. The next sentence referred to Harry Schneider; and it took me a moment to realise I had made the link between the 2 sentences, which might not have been intended by the writer. - In the same editorial, the induction to the aviation hall of fame is noted. I remember it differently from what was said there. I thought bringing the Schneiders to Australia was a private initiative amongst some of the leading lights of the sport in the 1940s including the Iggulden family; where the work opportunities (Vic Aero Club and then starting in Adelaide in John Wotherspoon’s shed which evolved into Edmund Schneider Ltd as we came to know it). In contrast to any initiative by government. My reverie was triggered again by February Mande-news where a comparison of membership numbers then and now is made. My memory is that ‘then’ we measured only full glider pilot numbers; whereas later we started adding short term members and some proportion of TIFs/9 day wonders to make up the grand total. I have no idea what ‘membership numbers’ today means, the diatribe doesn’t make it clear; and it certainly doesn’t match the ‘feel’ in clubs where I am invited to participate - where there is a palpable shortage of ‘members’ to get all the jobs done that impinge on us in this modern world. Emilis _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] http://lists.base64.com.au/listinfo/aus-soaring
