Photo Competition’s Strong Showing
The RNZAF made a strong showing at the Tauranga’s Classic Flyers Aviation Photographic Competition which was judged and prizes presented on Friday 18 April. Diane Jeffery from Classic Flyers sums up the results and backgrounds the judges and winners.
James and Phil were delighted to receive the prizes (a signed copy of Bee Dawson’s history of RNZAF Hobsonville, a copy also went to our collection at Classic Flyers). James has spent much of his RNZAF career at Whenuapai and Phil spent some of his career at Hobsonville. One of the Archive Crew spent a lot of time at Hobsonville and will be going up for the reunion.
The Chief Judge, Mr Bill Hodges, and his assistant Ms April Stark, found the standard of photography was very high and the photos in this section were extremely well presented.
Bill Hodges is a well known photographer throughout New Zealand and has judged for a number of years. April Stark, who is an experienced photographer, also is involved with the evaluation of photography and is a member of the Tauranga Photographic Society's Evaluation Panel."
There were 80+ entries and the organisers were very pleased with the number of entries and the high quality of entries. The most photographed aircraft in New Zealand this summer had to be the Red Checkers. We had a number of entries depicting the Red Checkers from various locations. Photographs of the Red Checkers were even entered in a local Photographic Club competition.
The winner of the Military Class, who was also awarded third place and judged to have the "Best Photograph of an RNZAF Aircraft" is James Jeffery. James is a Sergeant at No.40 Squadron in Whenuapai and joined the RNZAF in 1996. He has been based at Whenuapai, and Woodbourne during his career. James took the photographs while he was based in Kyrgyzstan on Operation Tui, in 2003.
Second placegetter, Phil Rowse joined the RNZAF in 1965 and during his four years of service was based in Wigram, Hobsonville, Woodbourne and Whenuapai. He was an ‘Aircraft Finisher’ painting the external surfaces of aircraft and applying anti-corrosive coatings. Phil's photograph is of the wings of an ex RNZAF Corsair in Asplin's Yard at Rukuhia in 1967. Phil was on leave at the time and visited the yard.
The winner of the Champion Print has a family connection to the RNZAF. Senior Constable Barry Shepherd won the Champion Print award with a photograph of the Lion Rescue helicopter on Mount Ruapehu, in January this year. Barry has been a police officer in Taupo for 25 years and is a member of the Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation. The RNZAF senior photographer who organised the RNZAF Photographic Exhibition at Classic Flyers, LAC Sam Shepherd, is Barry' son. Sam joined the RNZAF as a photographer four and a half years ago and has been based at Whenuapai for the past 8 months.