The GFA Awards which will be presented at the GFA Awards dinner in Melbourne on 27th August 2017.
A nominartion  document is available in the Document Library Award Nomination
The following Awards are available for presentation at the GFA Awards dinner which is to be held  on the same day as the GFA AGM, 27th August 2017

Nominations for GFA Awards can be made by any GFA member but require the endorsement of a Board Member in addition to the nominating member.  Typically, a half to one page citation is all that is needed.  Note that these awards are for services to the GFA, and would not usually go to a member whose main contribution has been to a single gliding club, however dedicated that may have been.  Members of GFA staff can't be nominated for services awards in respect of their paid duties, but can be nominated for services as volunteers.

Only one award is made for each category annually, and if there are no nominations (or none that are judged worthy) then the Award need not be made.

In order to allow the Board sufficient time to adjudicate, and for trophies to be prepared, the nomination period for all the above will close on 31st July 2017.  Nominations should be emailed to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Please remember also that the application for the RANGA Scholarship are open, documents for this are available in the Document Library and applications close at the end of June.

Tim Shirley
GFA Awards Officer

The GFA AGM has been brought forward to 16 July 2016 , so the time available for award nominations must be shorter than usual.

The following Awards are available for presentation at the GFA Awards dinner which is to be held in the evening after the AGM.

The Royal Australian Navy Gliding Association (RANGA) has established a scholarship valued at up to $1500 annually to be awarded to a person who can demonstrate a strong commitment to aviation but who is not yet at solo standard in any form of flying.
The money is a grant to assist in training in gliding, and will be paid to the club which provides that training.

The rules for the scholarship, and the process for applications, can be found on the GFA Website in the GFA Awards section.
The scholarship runs from 24th July 2016  to 23rd July 2017.  Applications can be made until 3rd July 2016. 

Download APPLICATION FORM

The Bob Irvine Trophy

 Greatest cross-country distance each
year after handicap

The Bob Irvine Trophy is to be awarded to the successful claimant for the greatest cross-country distance achieved in each calendar year after application of the appropriate handicap factor for the sailplane. Applications for the trophy are to be called for by the GFA Trophies Officer by advertisement in 'Australian Gliding' magazine early in each year, for distance flights achieved during the previous calendar year. Satisfactory verification details by an FAI Official Observer are to be provided by the applicant. The appropriate handicap factor is to be from the list currently used for the Decentralised Competitions

This trophy was inaugurated at the 1997 GFA Annual Council Meeting as a memorial to Dr. Robert D. Irvine Ph.D, widely known in the competition scene, and a former GFA Councillor for some years. Bob met his death whilst competing in the 35th FAI Nationals at Horsham on 24th January 1997 , in a mid-air collision between his Nimbus 2, VH-GWX and the well known ASW 22, VH-UKG. Bob had always seemed to fly a less than state-of-the art sailplane yet always did very well. He won the 'Austraglide' (Open Class, League 2) trophy posthumously on that occasion.

In view of Bob Irvine's predilection for less-than-top-class sailplanes it was felt appropriate to commemorate his achievements with a trophy for performance in such aircraft. During the previous year two wooden sailplanes, a Boomerang and a Ka6cr, flying in company from Gawler, Bob's home club, had achieved the outstanding distance of 654 km. Such flights suffered a major disadvantage under the Wally Wood Trophy rules, yet if the distance had been multiplied the by the appropriate handicap factor the points score would have compared more than favourably with the scores of top GRP sailplanes.

The Bob Irvine Trophy was originally known as 'The New Wally Wood Trophy" and was kindly donated by Peter Trotter who, with his wife Lisa, was currently joint RTO/Sports for VSA. (see under "Wally Wood Trophy" for the full circumstances of this donation).

Although applications may be made for both the Wally Wood Trophy (distance) and the Bob Irvine Trophy (handicap distance) both trophies shall not be awarded for the same flight.

Longest Distance Flight x Handicap Factor, Inaugurated 1997 
claimed in # calendar year
in ## transition 16 months 
then in GFA Financial Year May-April  

The Martin Warner Trophy

Greatest Height Gain Claimed in a Calendar Year

Martin Warner was one of the GFA founders in 1949 As a member of the Sydney Soaring Club he did much research on glider radios, and possibly his club was the only club in Australia using such modern equipment.

Martin was also a keen cross country pilot and it was on one of his cross-countries that he was taken up by a cumulo-nimbus cloud, attaining a height gain of 23,390 feet. At that time the climb was an Australian and British Commonwealth record. It remained an Australian record for many years.

On a number of years the trophy has not been claimed for the greatest gain of height in Australia in the year ending 31st December

The Wally Wood Trophy

Longest Distance Flight Claimed in a Calendar Year to 2000 thereafter the period is the GFA Financial year

This trophy is awarded to the pilot completing the longest cross-country flight in Australia each season. However, the pilot must submit a verified claim for the trophy when it is advertised in AG in May of each year. Until 2001 the ‘season’ was previous calendar year but it was then changed to May1st / April 30 th starting in 2002.

Wally Wood was quite a well known light aircraft pilot in Central Australia in the 1950s. 
He was a founder of the Alice Springs Gliding Club and contributed a lot to the sport of gliding in 'the Centre' as a glider pilot and tug pilot. 
It was whilst towing a glider that he met his unfortunate death.

The Alice Springs Gliding Club donated the trophy to GFA in 1962.

[ From the mid 80s to mid 90s the trophy was missing, apparently left with an unknown jeweler for engraving. A Victorian pilot listed as having held it accepted responsibility for the loss and paid for it's replacement, a very close replica made by Herbert Schade working from a photograph. This was tagged "The New Wally Wood Trophy" and was awarded for 1994 and 1995. Early in 1997 the aforesaid jeweler, a former member of Waikerie Gliding Club, went out of business and returned the missing trophy, leaving GFA in a dilemma! The pilot who had paid up had not in fact been responsible for the loss. The new trophy was taken out of circulation pending discussion with the Victorian pilot, and a decision on it's future use by the 1997 Sports Committee and the GFA ACM. The original trophy was then returned to circulation, with all engravings brought up to date, and was awarded again for the 1996 flight. Refer to the "Bob Irvine trophy" for the end of this saga ]

* * * * *

CHANGE TO PERIOD

At the 2001 ACM GFA Council agreed to a proposal put by the Trophies Officer, Fred Foord, that it would be appropriate to change the period of the Wally Wood, Bob Irvine and Martin Warner Trophies to relate better to the soaring season. Therefore the 2001 period was changed to be from 1 st Jan 2001 – 30 th April 2003, and thereafter from 1 st May (2002 etc.) to 30 th April of the following year (2003 etc.)

Longest distance flight claimed in calendar year 
(The trophy was not claimed for the missing years below)

The Corfu Accommodation Trophy

LEAGUE IV, DECENTRALISED COMPETITIONS

In 1994 a new League was introduced into the Decentralised Competitions, League IV for 'Novice' category pilots, those having under 200 hours experience at the beginning of the season. It became apparent that a new trophy would be needed.

An up and coming young pilot in Adelaide Soaring Club ( Matthew Ryan ) offered to 'put the hard word on' his grandfather to donate a trophy for this purpose!

Mr Ron Boswarva, whose business was 'Corfu Accommodation' in SA. was happy to do this, so the new trophy was commissioned, to be called the 'CORFU ACCOMMODATION TROPHY' This occurred in October 1995 and as the competition results had recently been announced it was seen fitting to make the first award.

'CORFU ACCOMMODATION TROPHY' 
UNDER 200 HOUR PILOTS

Decentralised Competitions

League III - THE NATIONAL TWO-SEATER TROPHY 
BEST POINTS BY A CLUB

The NSW Gliding Association Shield

DECENTRALISED CROSS-COUNTRY EVENT
WINNER, LEAGUE II

Description
A timber shield with an aviation centre piece and winner shields

Citation
Awarded to the winner of the Decentralised Cross-Country Event, League II

History
This shield was donated to the Decentralised Cross-Country Event in 2000 by the NSWGA. The donation was inspired by the contribution the annual “Narromine Cup and Performance Camp Week” makes to club pilots by providing them with an opportunity to achieve their personal cross-country goals. The link with the DCE is through the DCE providing the opportunity for further cross country development throughout the whole soaring season. It was decided to donate the trophy as a perpetual for the League II winner. The efforts of Kerry Claffey deserve special mention and thanks.

DECENTRALISED COMPETITIONS
LEAGUE II

In 1989 the Decentralised Comps Rules were changed yet again

EITHER THE 'SPORTAVIA' OR 
THE 'AUSTRALIAN GLIDING' TROPHY

# = Winner of A.G. Trophy in Bold Type
(See also League 1 Results)

The Bathurst Soaring Club Trophy

DECENTRALISED CROSS-COUNTRY EVENT
WINNER, LEAGUE I

Description
A genuine, still operational, Octoberfest beer stein with name plaque and winner year shields. “The trophy can do more than just look good”!

Citation
Awarded to the winner of the Decentralised Cross-Country Event, League II

History
This trophy was donated to the Decentralised Cross-Country event in 2000 by the Bathurst Soaring Club. The donation was inspired by the contribution the annual “Narromine Cup and Performance Camp Week” makes to club pilots by providing them with an opportunity to achieve their personal cross country goals. The link with the DCE is through the DCE providing the opportunity for further cross country development throughout the whole soaring season. It was decided to donate the trophy as a perpetual for the League I winner. The efforts of Eric Sweet deserve special mention and thanks.

2000 CHANGES TO D.C.C. RULES

DCC Convener, Chris Stephens, recommended to the National Competitions Committee on May 20th 2000, that“If the second place getter in League 2 or 4 places higher than the winner of League I, then the‘Sportavia’Trophy should be given to that pilot, not to the League I winner”

Sports Committee Chairman, Terry Cubley, reported“This makes sense and was approved by the NCC and we are happy for this to occur for this season forward”.

DECENTRALISED COMPETITIONS
LEAGUE I

Following the year 2000 changes mentioned above, the winner of League I, if not winning the‘Australian Gliding’nor the‘Sportavia’Trophy will be listed hereunder and presented with a certificate.

DECENTRALISED COMPETITIONS HISTORY
1974 / 1983

1983 CHANGES TO D.C.C. RULES

In 1983 the Sports Committee changed the categories in order to conduct a fairer competition.

Any inequality had been brought about by improved aircraft performances and domination in some areas by high standard pilots to the detriment of some inexperienced pilots.

It was decided to develop two Leagues in each class.

Pilots seeded up to 100 were placed in League 1.

Pilots seeded 101 and over were placed in League 2.

For two-seater gliders to qualify they were to be flown solo.

DECENTRALISED COMPETITIONS, LEAGUE I
THE 'AUSTRALIAN GLIDING' TROPHY

# = Winner of A.G.Trophy in Bold Type
(See also League 2 Results)

In 1989 the Decentralised Comps Rules were changed yet again, and the:
'SPORTAVIA TROPHY' ADDED