Hi Guys, I received an eMail from Allan Laycock which is worth a read, see below and watch the video by clicking on the link at the end.
In case you did not know Ivor F was a great aeromodeller. He lived in Blacktown and had a big shed out the back where kids from the local area would build models etc. It was also a hobby shop and engineering workshop. The club was called the Doonside Bats. I remember flying c/l combat at Camden aerodrome in the early 60’s where it was like Horatio at the bridge – you would knock one out and another would appear. He had VH or MAAA #1 and was instrumental in getting the MAAA off the ground as an aeromodelling organisation. He was into spelling reform (he was a teacher) and changed his name from Stowe to F which was his second initial – somewhat eccentric. His son Tarn represented Oz in rubber or glider ff World Champs a few times I think. He once came second in ff scramble at a Nats where he did his own retrieving at about 70 years of age and the winner had 3 ‘fetchermites’ in their early teens. He was only beaten by a few seconds! He made the Doonside Mills .75 engines in conjunction with Gordon Burford as well as the Elfin 1.49 replica (I have one of the few running examples) before the engine was made in Russia. I used to borrow his magazines in order to photocopy Old Timer plans that I compiled into folders that were put on the SAM 600 website so you could look up a plan to know what the model looked like. I was inducted into the SAM USA Hall of Fame for this and other efforts in 2015. He died about 6 years ago around 90 years of age – a great Australian.
regards,
Allan