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I regret to announce the death in Melbourne of one
of Australias' pioneer glider pilots and administrators, Geoff Richardson, on
thursday morning.
Geoff was a Life Member of the GFA, appropriately,
as he was one of the prime movers in the formation of the GFA in 1949. He, along
with others undertook to travel Australia wide to meet glider pilots and
convince them to form State Associations and ultimately the
Federation.
His glider building skills resulted in the Golden
Eagle Sailplane which he designed and built in his late teens and early
twenties. It first flew on the 27th of September 1937 and is still flying 69
years on! It was Australias' first sailplane and along with the GB2 was far
ahead of anything else until the Gull 1 was imported.
He was also a founding member of the Victorian
Motorless Flight Group where he served as its first President. I remember him
telling me that as Secretary of the Victorian Soaring Association he had to
write letters to himself as President of the VMFG, and then reply to
them.
He stopped flying many years back but still
remained in touch with the GFA and in came back and held the position of
Secretariat of the GFA in the late 1970's. He also helped Alan Patching keep the
Golden Eagle airworthy helping considerably during its many surveys.
There is so much gliding on the whole owes people
like Geoff Richardson. The next time I strap on a glider, I will pause to
remember him.
The family will be holding a private ceremony for
Geoff and in September a Memorial will be held at Bacchus Marsh to enable his
many friends the opportunity to remember him.
Details will be posted when available.
Ian P
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