The group met at the Devonshire for a few years until moving on to various other locations throughout the city. These included the Military Museum, Rand Airport, Emoyeni Doctors Club at the Jo’burg General Hospital and the Holiday Inn, Jan Smuts Airport. News of the formation spread quickly to Durban and within the year a branch was soon to be formed. From then on the word spread and branches in almost all of the major centres wee to follow. The Rand Hobbies Fair was a great way of getting to meet the public and show off their models, this was an annual event held in the Civic Centre, Market Street. Central Johannesburg. Similarly Wings and Wheels the SAA open day at Jan Smuts airport was also another favourite. The annual club contest has always been a big event on the Jo’burg club calendar and again various venues have been host to this event. Most notably being the now demolished Colony  Hotel on Jan Smuts Avenue in Craighall, where a reporter from the Star was hoodwinked into covering the event, the result being a large pic in the following Monday’s issue. Similarly the National Championships have been held in Jo’burg on several occasions. Taylor’s Travel Lodge, south of the city passed the fresh produce market. The Johannesburg College of Education in upper Braamfontien as well as the Military Museum.

An early IPMS SA Membership Card

The Jo’burg Branch has come full circle and again meets at the Museum of Military History to give it its official new title. Sadly not many of the old faces are around any longer. Helmut Vorlaufer now lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife Corrie and their two daughters and their children. Mo Skikne still lives in Jo’burg as does Mel Silberg who runs a successful hobby business and, sadly Mike Patmore passed away a couple of years ago. The club continues to grow and at present we have upwards of fifty members, with new faces appearing at the monthly meetings.

In the years since 1971, IPMS spread throughout South Africa with branches in all the main centres e.g. Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein etc.

Early IPMS SA Membership Card submitted by A. Owen.