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Oswald Watt Gold Medal

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Oswald Watt Gold Medal

The Oswald Watt Gold Medal is an Australian aviation award named for Oswald Watt (1878–1921), a decorated pilot in World War I.

It originated in 1921 after the death of Oswald Watt and is awarded for "A most brilliant performance in the air or the most notable contribution to aviation by an Australian or in Australia" by the Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia. As it is awarded on merit it is not an annual award; between the award's creation and 1999 it had been awarded a total of 48 times. It was not awarded in the years 2000 - 2010.

Recipients

Source: Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia

  • 1921 Francis Stewart Briggs – flew from Melbourne to Brisbane and from Melbourne to Perth
  • 1922 Harry Turner Shaw – flew in a Farman Sport from Melbourne to Sydney and return in May 1922
  • 1923 No award
  • 1924 Flight Lieutenant Ivor McIntyre – pilot of a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Fairey IIID configured as a floatplane in the first circumnavigation of Australia by air; departing from RAAF Point Cook, Victoria on 6 April 1924 and landing on St. Kilda Beach 44 days later
  • 1925 E. J. Jones
  • 1926 Ivor McIntyre – second award;
  • 1927 Bert Hinkler
  • 1928 Bert Hinkler – second award;
  • 1929 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
  • 1930 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith – second award;
  • 1931 Bert Hinkler – third award;
  • 1932 Bert Hinkler – fourth award;
  • 1933 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith – third award;
  • 1934 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith – fourth award;
  • 1935 Harry Frank (Jim) Broadbent
  • 1936 Edgar Percival
  • 1937 Dr. Clyde Fenton
  • 1938 Don Bennett
  • 1939-45 No awards
  • 1946 Don Bennett – second award;
  • 1947 Squadron Leader Harold Brownlow Martin
  • 1948-49 No awards
  • 1950 Martin Warner
  • 1951 Patrick Gordon Taylor
  • 1952 Squadron Leader P. G. Fisher
  • 1953 Wing Commander Derek "Jell" Cuming
  • 1954 Mervyn Waghorn
  • 1955-56 No awards
  • 1957 Sir Donald Anderson
  • 1958 Squadron Leader D.W Leckie
  • 1959 A.E Chadwick
  • 1960 Brigadier Guy N Moore
  • 1961 No award
  • 1962 Henry Millicer
  • 1963 No award
  • 1964 Edward Connellan – founder of Connellan Airways in 1939
  • 1965 No award
  • 1966 Harry Schneider
  • 1967 Sir Hudson Fysh – founder of Qantas in 1921
  • 1968 No award
  • 1969 George Alfred (Peter) Lloyd
  • 1970-72 No awards
  • 1973 Sir Norman Brearley – founder of West Australian Airways in 1921
  • 1974 Sir Lawrence Wackett
  • 1975 Sir Reg Ansett – founder of Ansett in 1935
  • 1976 Clive Canning – flew a Thorp T-18 that he had built himself from Melbourne to London and return; his arrival in London on 1 July completed the first Australia-England flight in a homebuilt aircraft
  • 1977 Horrie Miller – founder of MacRobertson Miller Airlines in 1927
  • 1978 No award
  • 1979 Bill Moyes
  • 1980-82 No awards
  • 1983 Dick Smith
  • 1984-87 No awards
  • 1988 Ian Honnery
  • 1989-91 No awards
  • 1992 Chris Dewhirst – the first person to fly a balloon over Mount Everest
  • 1993 George "Scotty" Allan
  • 1994 No award
  • 1995 Jon Johanson
  • 1996 Shirley Adkins
  • 1997 Bernie Sarroff
  • 1998 Dr Andrew (Andy) Thomas – Australian-born NASA astronaut who was stationed on Mir Space Station for 141 days from January to June 1998; and was on Space Shuttle missions STS-77, STS-89/STS-91 (to and from Mir), STS-102 and STS-104
  • 1999 Paul D. Scully-Power
  • 2000-2010 No awards
  • 2011 Squadron Leader Paul Simmons
  • 2012 John W. Dickenson

    • References

    Oswald Watt Gold Medal Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA