Paddleducks
General => Chat & Off Topic Stuff => Topic started by: PJ on June 18, 2005, 12:45:53 PM
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I was deeply saddened to receive an email on Wednesday from Gary Peat in Scotland announcing the sad news that his Dad had died last Saturday from a heart attack. It came as even more of a shock since I was currently in contact with George and had arranged to phone him at home in Scotland to thank him personally for all the help he had recently given me over a modeling project. He had gone to the Glasgow Museum of Transportation and taken a whole slew of pictures for me so I could get better reference for a model I am building. These great pictures arrived by email only three weeks ago and George's phone number was sitting here on my desk ready for me to phone him this weekend in Loanhead.
I'd like everyone to know how incredibly helpful and what an inspiration George was to me. When the Internet arrived in the early 1990's, he was one the first ship modelers to embrace this revolutionary new technology and go online to reach out to other modelers around the world, assisting them in any way he could. He was very well known in most of the online model ship forums and no matter if it was a modeling question or a detailing question about an actual ship, George was an endless source of information. He was part of one of the very first internet advisory groups on model ships known as the "Model Boat Wizards" and was tremendously effective in assisting experienced modelers and beginners alike, between whom he made absolutely no distinction. As a beginner, I knew that whenever I needed ANY information on ship modeling or prototype information, I could always email George and there would be a detailed reply in my inbox within hours.
We first met online when I expressed my interest in "Director" Class paddle tugs and he immediately sent me a series of photos he had taken at Roseath of the very last example, RMAS "Director" before it was scrapped at Roseath. George had already built a model of these Royal Navy paddle tugs and we exchanged many emails on the subject of the "Directors", the last paddle tugs ever built.
George sometimes sent me pictures of his own models of which he was justifiably proud. One of his "classics" was the 1/72 Revell Flower Class Corvette kit adapted so effectively to the famous ocean tug "Sudbury", once based right here in Victoria, British Columbia. Thankfully details of that conversion have been preserved on the internet at Bob Pearson's web site where thousands of modelers around the world have admired the model and the article which accompanies it. It can be found at:
http://www.cbrnp.com/RNP/Flower/MODELS/Sudbury/Sudbury.htm
George also maintained his association with Canada when he converted the same Revell kit to the Canadian Flower class short fo'c'sle Corvette "Agassiz". Once again this excellent article has been preserved with Bob Pearson at:
http://www.cbrnp.com/RNP/Flower/MODELS/Agassiz/Agassiz.htm
George recently sent me photos of his latest model of USS "John D. Ford", once again in the 1/72 scale he loved to model in. He was Secretary of the Task Force 72 Scale Model Ship Association in the UK and had also been very active for many years in the Surface Warship Association and was the Editor of their Newsletter, "Quarter Deck".
Not only did he have a presence on the Internet, George was a long standing and active member of the Edinburgh Model Boat Club in Scotland. He was a well known and much loved character at Model Boat Shows on both sides of the border where often displayed his models.
So, George, on behalf of all those of us you have helped and the thousands you've touched both online and in the "real world", I want to say "Thank you, old Friend". Thank you for sharing your lifetime of knowledge and experience with us and for inspiring us with your enthusiasm for the model ships you love so much. It has been a privilege knowing you and I will miss you greatly.
I'm sure that those of you who knew George will join me in sending our deepest condolences to Gary and members of his family.
Paul Jordan
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
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I am just back from my stint on the Waverley to the sad news of Georges death. A great loss. I first met George many years ago at one of the early Primrose Valley modellers holiday weeks in Yorkshire whicjh he always attended along with his wife, dogs and a couple of models. We had many chin wags over the years there and at other model ship venues, sharing a common interest in predreadnought warships, particularly coast defence battleships.
He was a founder member of the surface warship association and was insrumental in my joining them. He could always be relied on to attend e
xhibitions, rolling up in his caravan (with his beloved dogs) and to talk to the public with his good humour asnd tremendous wealth of modelling knowledge. His last great research project was the USS Wolverine paddle aircraft carrier which I think he actualy started.
At the drop of a hat he would travel the length of the UK to attend a show.
My condolences to his family at this sad loss, he was a good guy.
Walter.