Piako Club Celebrates 50 years

Pia ko Gli At 50

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The highly abridged, unofficial, and whimsical history of Piako Gliding Club’s first 50 years Trevor Atkins with help from Ian Finlayson and Roger Brown

How do you start a gliding club with no aircraft?

In the Waikato it all began with an advertisement in the Matamata Chronicle, a brightly painted model glider to demonstrate the concept, and a great deal of enthusiasm when in 1957 Lew Hale started the ball rolling to drum up interest. Lew became the first Secretary of the Piako Gliding Club with Bob Connor serving as the first President.

Flying commenced in 1958 with Piako’s first ever glider Rhonlerche ZK-GBO arriving by aerotow on 23 March. Its very first launch from Waharoa that day produced a 28 minute thermal flight – a taste of things to come! Over the next few years GBO was flown in snow to 10,650' by Peter De Renzy, soared across the Kaimais to Tauranga by Peter Blakeborough, pranged (taking the Club’s Tiger Moth tug along with it), flown at high speed for 80kms by Alan Irving from Hamilton to Thames in 1 hour 35 minutes, and - of course - pranged again! GBO was sold in 1965 to the Southland Gliding Club after seven year’s of faithful service totaling 1902hrs over some 9300 flights.

Piako has been well served by a long list of members willing to ensure the continuing wise stewardship of the club. Over its 50 years the Piako Gliding Club has been steered by 123 different people under 20 presidents, while 16 CFIs and 14 Tug masters have kept us airborne. Over the years the club has created 11 Life Members to acknowledge their contributions, with Lew Hale receiving his well deserved Life Membership at the club’s 50th birthday celebration.

Life Member Tony Fowke Colin Ross Sandy Norman Bruce Fowler Ralph Insoll Ian Finlayson Appointed 1967 1969 1979 1981 1984 1988 Life Member Appointed Les Riesterer 1992 Ralph Gore 1996 Shirley Finlayson 1997 Harold Oates 2002 Lew Hale 2007

Much of the story of Piako includes the story of the wider gliding community exploring the Waikato skies and learning to race sailplanes cross country. The development of the Matamata Soaring Centre driven by the incredible enthusiasm of Auckland Gliding Club’s Ian Pryde has been critical to the development of soaring in the Waikato. For the past 25 years the Soaring Centre has been ably sheparded by its President, Piako club member Ralph Gore.

Piako Gliding Club members such as Sandy Norman have also made invaluable contributions beyond the local club scene helping to develop the training systems and infrastructure of the New Zealand Gliding Association (now Gliding New Zealand); while Piako’s Dennis Crequer was at the helm as President of NZGA through the more recent CAA-driven revamp of aviation in NZ helping to protect soaring as a legitimate aviation activity in the new world we find ourselves.

The club’s trophies and committee minute books, along with the Gliding Kiwi, hold the names of many Piako pilots through the years who have explored and opened up the Waikato skies to soaring. Pilots from this pioneering time included Tony Fowke, Brian Kosoof, Ross Carmichael, Peter De Renzy and many others.

The 1960s and 1970s are considered by many to be the heyday of development of soaring both in the Waikato and more generally in New Zealand. The July 1963 edition of Gliding Kiwi captures the story of early exploration of the Kaimai wave from Matamata with flights to 30,000’. National gliding championships at Matamata during this era attracted pilots numbering 50 to 60, including strong representation from the South Island.

Piako Club member Ian Finlayson is a past New Zealand Champion, and also held the national Rothman’s Challenge Cup from 1973-1991 (until the rules were changed to give someone else a chance!), held a number of National Speed Records, and flew to 7th place in the Open Class at the 1978 World Gliding Championships. Ann Johnson in 1979 soared from Matamata to Gisborne to claim the National Women’s Record for Straight Distance To A Goal – while flying over some of New Zealand’s true tiger country. Other notable Piako pilots from the 1980s to present day include Phil E. Smith, David Reid, and Bryan O’Brien; all keen cross country pilots who made their presence known winning National Titles in their respective classes.