The Oswald Watt Gold Medal is an Australian

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

award named for

Oswald Watt Walter Oswald Watt, (11 February 1878 – 21 May 1921) was an Australian aviator and businessman. The son of a Scottish-Australian merchant and politician, he was born in England and moved to Sydney when he was one year old, returnin ...

(1878–1921), a decorated pilot in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. 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 Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

. 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.

Recipients

The recipients are:Oswald Watt Gold Medal winners list

. Retrieved 9 October 2019 *1921

Francis Stewart Briggs Francis Stewart Briggs (18 September 1897 – 21 July 1966) was a pioneering Australian aviator. Frank Briggs learnt to fly with the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War. During the Peace Conference in 1919 he flew delegates between Londo ...

– flew from

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and from Melbourne to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

*1922 Harry Turner Shaw – flew in a

Farman Sport The Farman FF 65 Sport was a French built light biplane, with a single engine and tandem seats, intended for sport and touring. First flown in 1919, it achieved modest sales at home and abroad in the early 1920s. Two unusual modifications produ ...

from Melbourne to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and return in May 1922 *1923 ''No award'' P00589

*1924 Flight Lieutenant

Ivor McIntyre Ivor Ewing McIntyre, (6 October 1899 – 12 March 1928) was a pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He gained national recognition in 1924 when he and Wing Commander Stanley Goble became the first men to circumnavigate Australia ...

– pilot of a

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) Fairey IIID configured as a

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

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 – flew from Melbourne to Normanton in north-west Queensland and back to Melbourne *1926 Flight Lieutenant Ivor McIntyre – second award; pilot on a flight with Wing Commander (later Air Marshal) Richard Williams from RAAF Point Cook (now

RAAF Williams RAAF Williams is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base set across two locations, at Point Cook and Laverton, located approximately south-west of the Melbourne central business district in Victoria, Australia. Both establishm ...

) near Melbourne to the Solomon Islands and return *1927

Bert Hinkler Herbert John Louis Hinkler (8 December 1892 – 7 January 1933), better known as Bert Hinkler, was a pioneer Australian aviator (dubbed "Australian Lone Eagle") and inventor. He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person ...

– flew non-stop from London to Latvia as part of a business trip *1928 Bert Hinkler – second award; flew from England to Australia *1929 Sir

Charles Kingsford Smith Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith (9 February 18978 November 1935), nicknamed Smithy, was an Australian aviation pioneer. He piloted the first transpacific flight and the first flight between Australia and New Zealand. Kingsford Smith was b ...

*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 Edgar Wikner Percival (23 February 1897 – 21 January 1984) was a noted Australian aircraft designer and pilot whose aircraft were distinguished by speed and grace. Percival went on to set up the Percival Aircraft Company, a British aircraft ...

*1937 Dr.

Clyde Fenton Clyde Cornwall Fenton OBE (16 May 1901 – 28 February 1982) was the Northern Territory's first flying doctor. Unlike the other doctors with the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Fenton was also his own pilot. Fenton was a self-t ...

*1938

Don Bennett Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett, (14 September 1910 – 15 September 1986) was an Australian aviation pioneer and bomber pilot who rose to be the youngest air vice marshal in the Royal Air Force. He led the "Pathfinder Fo ...

*1939-45 ''No awards'' *1946 Don Bennett – second award *1947 Squadron Leader

Harold Brownlow Martin Air Marshal Sir Harold Brownlow Morgan "Micky" Martin, (27 February 1918 – 3 November 1988) was an Australian bomber pilot and senior commander in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He took part in Operation Chastise, the RAF's "Dambusters" raid in ...

*1948-49 ''No awards'' *1950 Martin Warner – inadvertently set a British Empire altitude record for a glider of after he flew a Slingsby T.25 Gull 4 into a cloud and it was caught in an updraft *1951

Patrick Gordon Taylor Sir Patrick Gordon Taylor, (21 October 1896 – 15 December 1966), commonly known as Bill Taylor, was an Australian aviator and author. He was born at Mosman, Sydney, and died in Honolulu. Taylor attended The Armidale School in northern New S ...

*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 Henry K. Millicer, AM (11 June 1915 – 28 August 1996) born Henryk Kazimierz Milicer, was a Polish-Australian aircraft designer and pilot. Early life and Second World War Millicer was born in Warsaw, Poland, the son of Kazimierz Mili ...

*1963 ''No award'' *1964

Edward Connellan Edward John ("EJ" or "Eddie") Connellan AO, CBE (24 June 1912 – 26 December 1983) was an Australian aviator who founded Connellan Airways and was a pioneer of aviation in the Northern Territory. Early life Connellan was born on 24 June 1912 a ...

– founder of

Connellan Airways Connellan Airways (later Connair) was an airline headquartered in Alice Springs, Australia. It operated scheduled flights as well other air transport services throughout the Northern Territory from 1939 to 1980. History The company was fo ...

in 1939 *1965 ''No award'' *1966 Harry Schneider *1967 Sir

Hudson Fysh Sir Wilmot Hudson Fysh, KBE, DFC (7 January 18956 April 1974) was an Australian aviator and businessman. A founder of the Australian airline company Qantas, Fysh was born in Launceston, Tasmania. Serving in the Battle of Gallipoli and Pale ...

– founder of

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

in 1921 *1968 ''No award'' *1969 George Alfred (Peter) Lloyd *1970-72 ''No awards'' *1973 Sir

Norman Brearley Sir Norman Brearley, (22 December 1890 – 9 June 1989) was a commercial and military pilot and one of the pioneers of the airline industry within Australia. Early life Born in Geelong, Victoria on 22 December 1890, Brearley moved to Perth, ...

– founder of

West Australian Airways West Australian Airways was an Australian airline based in Geraldton, Western Australia. Established on 5 December 1921 as Western Australian Airways by World War I pilot Norman Brearley, it was the first airline in Australia to establish a sche ...

in 1921 *1974 Sir

Lawrence Wackett Sir Lawrence James Wackett (2 January 1896 – 18 March 1982) is widely regarded as "father of the Australian aircraft industry". He has been described as "one of the towering figures in the history of Australian aviation covering, as he did, ...

*1975 Sir

Reg Ansett Sir Reginald Myles Ansett KBE (13 February 1909 – 23 December 1981) was an Australian businessman and aviator. He was best known for founding Ansett Transport Industries, which owned one of Australia's two leading domestic airlines between ...

– founder of

Ansett Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Australia. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into adminis ...

in 1935 *1976 Clive Canning – flew a

Thorp T-18 The Thorp T-18 is an American, two-place, all-metal, plans-built, homebuilt aircraft designed in 1963 by John Thorp.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011–12'', page 98. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2 ...

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 *1977 Horrie Miller – founder of

MacRobertson Miller Airlines MacRobertson Miller Airlines (MMA) was a Western Australian airline that operated between 1927 and 1993. After being purchased by Ansett Transport Industries in 1968, it was eventually rebranded Ansett WA. History In 1919, Horrie Miller ...

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 Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...

*1993 George "Scotty" Allan *1994 ''No award'' *1995

Jon Johanson Jon Johanson (born 1956) is an Australian aviator known for his pioneering flights in a home-built Van's Aircraft RV-4. Early life Johanson was born in 1956 in Warburton, Victoria, the third of four children. His father was a dairy farmer in ...

– flew around the world in a Van's RV-4 two seat

homebuilt aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

that he had built himself, leaving Adelaide's

Parafield Airport Parafield Airport is on the edge of the residential suburb of Parafield, South Australia, north of the Adelaide city centre and adjacent to the Mawson Lakes campus of the University of South Australia. It is Adelaide's second airport and the ...

on 26 June 1995 and arriving back at Parafield on 4 September 1995 *1996 Shirley Adkins *1997 Bernie Sarroff *1998 Dr Andrew (Andy) Thomas – Australian-born

NASA astronaut The NASA Astronaut Corps is a unit of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for U.S. and international space missions. It is based at Johnson Space Ce ...

who was stationed on

Mir Space Station ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

for 141 days from January to ; and was on

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...

missions

STS-77 STS-77 was the 77th Space Shuttle mission and the 11th mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, Space Shuttle ''Endeavour''. The mission began from launch pad 39B from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 19 May 1996 lasting 10 days and 40 minutes an ...

STS-89 STS-89 was a Space Shuttle mission to the ''Mir'' space station flown by Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Endeavour, '' Endeavour'', and launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 22 January 1998. Crew Crew notes STS-89 was originally schedule ...

STS-91 STS-91 was the final Space Shuttle mission to the ''Mir'' space station. It was flown by Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', and launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 2 June 1998. Crew Mission highlights STS-91 marked the final Shuttle/''M ...

(to and from Mir),

STS-102 STS-102 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle '' Discovery'' and launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. STS-102 flew in March 2001; its primary objectives were resupplying the ISS and ...

and

STS-104 STS-104 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) flown by Space Shuttle ''Atlantis''. Its primary objectives were to install the ''Quest'' Joint Airlock and help perform maintenance on the International Space Statio ...

*1999 Paul D. Scully-PowerCASA media release – CASA chairman honoured
/ref> *2000-2010 ''No awards'' *2011 Squadron Leader Paul SimmonsSquadron Leader Simmons Wins Oswald Watt Medal
retrieved 8 September 2012 *2012 John W. Dickenson – "for a most notable contribution to Aviation by an Australian for his invention of the modern Hang Glider and making improvements in flight safety" *2013 Marj Davis Gillespie – "her voluntary contribution of sixteen years to the Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia, the Flying Training Industry and General Aviation" *2014 Air Chief Marshal Sir

Angus Houston Air Chief Marshal Sir Allan Grant "Angus" Houston, (born 9 June 1947) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Air Force. He served as Chief of Air Force from 20 June 2001 and then as the Chief of the Defence Force from 4 July 20 ...

– awarded for his work as head of the

Joint Agency Coordination Centre The Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) is an Australian government agency which was established on 30 March 2014 to coordinate search and recovery operations for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared on 8 March 2014 and was soo ...

, set up to oversee the search for

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that disappeared on 8 March 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned destination ...

; and as Australia's Special Envoy to Ukraine after the crash in Ukraine of

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17/MAS17) was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down by Russian forces on 17 July 2014, while flying over eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed. Cont ...

*2015 ''no award'' *2016 George Alfred (Peter) Lloyd – second award; "for continued and valuable service to the Aviation Industry and in particular the safety of aviation" *2017-2018 ''no awards''

References

AFC website list of Oswald Watts Gold Medal recipients
retrieved 2007-08-21. * {{cite book , last=Johanson , first=Jon , date=1997 , title=Aiming High: The Little Australian Built to Fly the World , location= Kent Town, SA , publisher=Wakefield Press , isbn=1 86254 424 7
Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia
Aviation awards Australian awards Awards established in 1921

Recipients

See also

References