The good new is that the Warbirds 2021 meeting dates have been confirmed by the Ashburton Library so we are all set for our February meeting. We will be able to attend our normal venue as well as run our COVID Skype format on alternate weeks – more to follow!

2020 was a year that disrupted the modelling community in every possible way due to COVID. From the cancellation of scheduled modelling competitions to the inability of clubs to hold meetings at their various venues. Our favorite walk in model retailers were mostly closed but eventually opened with limited numbers of customers and strict 1.5 and handsan on entry. The real savior was that the online retailers were alive and well and most items were easily available. Although is some instances the supply of some stock was either reduced or just not available due to wholesalers/distributor supply issues, mostly coming from overseas.

Even though we are a modelling group we are all members of the wider community who has felt the punch of all things COVID. We were all looking in dismay as people began to hoard toilet paper which drove store shortages and how people then moved onto cleaning out staples like pasta, rice, sugar, flour etc etc. It was crazy out there, and when you did get toilet paper it was like you needed a security guard just to get it to your car. I can remember looking out of my office window to see a massive line of people lining up for CentreLink. It really made me value the fact that I had a job and it hit home that people out there were doing it tough. Masks became mandatory and more and more people were now working from home. Social distancing became the norm, and a huge amount of effort and cost was put in place to make it work – and it did! For a while my son couldn’t leave the house to earn some more driving hours, and booking a licence test was put on hold for thousands of learners. Boarders were closed and you needed permits to travel for work. Pubs were closed, restaurants were closed and many other retailers were closed so life wasn’t easy for most. Small groups began to protest about restrictions and police were fining those who were breaking the new COVID rules. Mind you all of this was in Victoria and the approach was different for all states, which made me wonder why a national unified plan wasn’t formalised.

2020 was really a crappy year but it gets better, or worse depending on how you look at it as its not really over. Victoria had gone 60 days without any new cases until we got 3 new case a day ago and Sydney is becoming the new Melbourne of a few months ago. At least now things in Victoria are looking much better than earlier in the year and we did come out of COVID and enjoyed a xmas with family and friends.

One of the positives for me during this time and for many others who I know is that my modelling time has increased with more kits being built. I have a feeling that once the comps return there will be a flood of kits, which will be a great thing of course. Our members have continued to keep in contact using Skype which really helped to break the feeling of isolation. Even though Skype has been around for years I think COVID showed us what a great tool it is especially for our more remote members. We will continue to use it or perhaps explore some of the other similar tools available.

Lets hope that 2021 is more brighter and that our Ashburton meeting schedule kicks off with out any COVID surprises. Please check out our new 2021 meeting dates.

See you all there!

Michael Tabone
Club Secretary