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.[1]

Recipients

The recipients are:[1]

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[2]
1923
No award
Fairey IIID floatplane flown by Ivor McIntyre during his circumnavigation of Australia in 1924
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[3][4]
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
Astronaut Andy Thomas, 1998 medal recipient
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[5]
2000-2010
No awards
2011
Squadron Leader Paul Simmons[6]
2012
John W. Dickenson

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oswald Watt Gold Medal winners list, Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia, retrieved 31 January 2014
  2. ↑ "Flying Helmet - Major H.T Shaw, RFC & RAF, circa 1918". museumvictoria.com.au. Museum Victoria. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  3. ↑ Johanson (1997) p.59
  4. ↑ "World Aviation in 1976". century-of-flight.net. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  5. ↑ CASA media release - CASA chairman honoured
  6. ↑ Squadron Leader Simmons Wins Oswald Watt Medal retrieved 8 September 2012