To this end I ask that each club/branch Chair ask each member to judge one of his models using the new judging and guide sheets and then along with the Chair or Competition Secretary to ask the members to justify their markings. Then following this, to judge a model which is not their own, then to continue the process until the members are competent to judge at Nationals level.

This process should not be too onerous and should be a help with any club level competition. I would like as many members as possible to attend, I’m sure that the increase in fuel costs is going to have an impact on your travel arrangements. Sharing your transport can help cut these cost, as well as offering accommodation to friends from out of town. Maybe the clubs could sponsor some members with their costs, who knows, we could get lucky and the fuel price could drop substantially before March next year! We can only hope.

I would like to thank Theo Groenewald, who was installed as the Competition Rules Secretary at the last Nats, for his unstinting efforts in formulating, collating and finalising the judging sheets and system. The system is the product of a seed sown between, he and I during our travels to the Bloem Nats. Much back and forth communications have happened since October last year and now the judging format and judging sheets have been finalised. Serious work on the computer system is in full swing during the dark hours in Pretoria. I am confident the process we are about to install will stand the society in good stead for the future.

My sincere thanks to everyone who helped in the process of finalising the judging and guide sheets. If you have models, which have been entered at the Nats in previous years. Please refrain from entering these models again in the competition. Be true to yourself, if you didn’t figure last time then the chances are you won’t again. Things move on, none more so than the level of modelling skill of our members, which if I may add is of world class.

Besides the competition tables there will be tables available for club/branch displays, these will form the sideshow to support the competition. The public will have access to the event and they will be able to see that the society is not just made up of high flying modellers. So may I urge each club to start planning a club display.

In closing and until the Nat’s ’09 - happy scale modelling. Colin Burgess, National Chairman