The Tasmania R/C Yachting Association started quite by chance. It initially came from the Tasmanian Radio Control Association’s around the 1973 circa.  It didn’t start as an independent Sailing club but rather had its roots from the soaring club part of it. All the R/C soaring clubs in Tasmania were linked including Ulverstone and Risdon Brook to name a few. There is reports in the AMYA newsletters of that era of people inquiring about membership of the AMYA (the fore runner to ARYA) in 1971 Circa.

 The Risdon Brook Club catered for a whole range of model flyers including Thermal, Pattern and Pylon racing, Quarter Midgets, Helicopter. Somehow there wanted to take on sailing as well when it was too windy to fly.

 One of the good things about having a really good club was that they had a newsletter and I managed to glean the first of the early races on the 28/10/73. The club seemed to race only three races a day. The first race had 10 starters; boat A 1 to 7 and A10 and A12. They had a problem with the weather on the day. The Sailing news writer, Philip Owen, takes up the story, said that they had the four season in the first hour of the races. The wind was from the North West.

 Some of the boat names were Sallyann, Golliwog , Aphrodite, Palana. Some of the people involved were Herb Tyson, Garth Wilmot, Ron Caird, Anthony Benada. To name a few.

 The first official Regatta was on the 28 /10/74. It was run by

 Phillip Owen. He said the first race meeting was a complete disaster! For we only had three starters forthcoming. They were John Emms, Ron Cairns and Philip Owen. He went on to say that John was clearly “Cock of Risdon Brook” for winning the three races.

 In the years leading up to this regatta, there was attemps to get R/C Yachting up. Ulverstone member in Northern Tasmania, Bruce Dykstra had a planked Marblehead and Rod Adams had a 50”  Soling hull that he got from a RCM plan (American Magazine)which he said really looked smart. However there was talk about A class hulls. I do know that they had a A class mould for a private design by the Englishman Stan Witty. This boat was not unlike the Highlander by Priest. Some people have even mistaken it for it, at times. This private design was called RADAR by Stan and I heard that he had originally given the plan to the Sydney Model Yacht Club in earlier times and that it was given by Bob Young of Sydney to help the Tasmanian Soaring Club out. Bob traded as the Silvertone Electronics in Sydney that made R/C control gear.  Silvertone was also connected to early radio sailing in Sydney in the early days up to 1976 Circa. Which the Silvertone Trophy is the M class State prize. I believe that Bob sold a lot of Silvertone radios in Tasmania in those days. In the North of the state they were into Ms. The Late Ron Dunster (from Canberra) had lent them a collection of M class moulds to start the class off  in Devonport.

 It appears down Risdon Brook way they we thinking more about the bigger type boats, like A class.  You see they had this Authority By-law in the area they gathered in, that all the models and members had to be financial with the club. So the boats had to have a registration number BEFORE they could be put on the water. Of course the club took the easiest way out and measured and registered the boats in the club with a club number (example. A 12). I believe a small coin was glued in place on the foredeck to the date of the rego. The club boat could not sail unless they had their sail numbers on the mainsail and the member financial.

 Information in this short article was taken from the Tasmanian Radio Control Association Newsletter 1973/74. By Garth Wilmot, Editor .

 Steve Crewes, National Historian 2010