John Gilchrist Memorial Trophy

Who John was

John Gilchrist was one of the founding members of Hamilton Radio Modelling Club, as it was known then, and an early chairman of the club up until his death.

He was a driving force in how the club developed in its formative years. Although never in the best of health and, by his own admission, never the best of pilots, he was an extremely skilled builder and could always be found at the club's flying site.

He derived a great deal of pleasure from building and from watching others fly. He was always willing to pass on building tips and was a great admirer of others' skills, encouraging club members to build the best models they could and to keep learning and improving with each successive model.

When ill health finally caught up with him, it was felt that his passing should be marked in some way. His family were approached, and they were delighted that his memory would be kept alive within the club, as it was such a big part of his life. The family were asked to set the criteria for a shield to be known as the John Gilchrist Memorial Trophy.

Trophy rules

In line with John's interests, these rules were set:

• The trophy is competed for on an annual basis.
• The model has to be built by a club member.
• It may be scratch built or from a kit, but not an ARTF.
• It must be flown at the club and witnessed in the year it is entered. If the model can't be flown at the club site, such as a seaplane, evidence must be provided of the date and location of its flight.
• The builder does not need to be the pilot, but both must be club members. John often asked others to fly his models so he could admire them in flight.
• Individuals may enter as many models as they wish, but each model may only be entered once, whether it wins or not.
• Members vote for their choice at the AGM. The winner's name is added to the shield, which they hold for one year.