May 2024 marked the VGC’s third rally at  Usk, which is  the beautiful home of South Wales GC site. For reasons now lost in time, the newly formed VGC made a very early visit there in 1974;  decades later, we  had a trial rally last Spring, and finally a very harmonious UK National Rally from 25-31 May this year.

The rally opened on the Saturday with a great day’s flying.  Steve Nicholls roamed all the local countryside in his trusty Oly 2, which he has owned since 2009.  The day concluded with a typically excellent Usk barbecue, accompanied by a superb jazz band in the clubhouse. The bass guitarist’s instrument -all wood- was a joy to behold and hear.

Steve’s flight of over 3 hours eventually proved to be the longest of the rally, and so gained the elusive Rodi Morgan trophy, which is a story in itself.

The trophy was awarded twice in this rally, the first time being to ex-Dorset CFI Peter Molloy ( who incidentally has flown a record 63 examples of the K-13). Peter’s award should have been made in 2011, but the trophy mysteriously went missing  for many years. Lofty Russell (VGC founder member and also THE Minimoa man) recounted some anecdotes about Rodi, who had a remarkable role in WW2, being tasked with retrieving damaged aircraft. In the North African desert, his group tracked down an intact Messerschmitt Bf109 G which was urgently wanted for assessment. They got it all ready for flight the next morning, but unfortunately, the newly-formed SAS thought otherwise, and blew it up during the night!

Rallies are about the people as much as the gliders and the flights. Thursday was a  no-fly day, but many visitors arrived during the day: notable was Rita Jefferies. Rita started gliding in 1949 while stationed in Germany with the RAF; she especially loved the Kranich, but  she ‘flew the lot’, and also became  a good friend to giants such as  Nick Goodhart and Derek Piggott. Rita only recently stopped flying, and this year she will be 95!  She is seen here with the yellow Dunstable Prefect.  Next came aeromodellers Steve Vincent and Pat Teakle, based in Somerset, seen here with Lofty Russell.  Then there was a trio from the Long Mynd, led by Roger Andrews, doing some early planning for next year’s National Rally with Midland GC.   Another person who contributed hugely throughout the rally was Thomas van der Ven, who came all the way from Venlo, Netherlands, to spend the whole week with us. Despite this, the farthest travelled, as usual, was David Weekes, (600 miles from Feshiebridge, with his Skylark 4 and blue van full of VGC merchandise).  Thursday was indeed a sociable day, and was rounded off by a lively dinner at the historic King’s Head pub in Usk itself.   Another enjoyable occasion during the rally was a visit from the local Classic Car Club, with some very nostalgic  vehicles.

The rally was superbly run by youthful Chairman Adam Deacon, and also the tireless CFI and tug pilot, Ian Kennedy. Talgarth generously loaned their Pawnee, so there were two of these  trusty tugs. The other one was ‘Uniform Charlie’, which served  for many years at Parham. Winching never quite happened, as the ‘top end’ of the field remained soggy.  One final word about Usk: at the farm where my wife and I stayed, there was also a couple from Mid-Wales, who were on their seventh  visit- which just shows what a special place this is.    

Andrew Jarvis ;  UK Rally Secretary