I was deeply saddened to receive an email on Wednesday from Gary Peat
in Scotland announcing the news that his Dad had died last Saturday
from a heart attack. It came as even more of a shock since I was
currently in contact with George and had arranged to phone him at
home in Scotland to thank him personally for all the help he had
recently given me over a modeling project. He had gone to the Glasgow
Museum of Transportation and taken a whole slew of pictures for me so
I could get better reference for a model I am building. These great
pictures arrived by email only three weeks ago and George's phone
number was sitting here on my desk ready for me to phone him this
weekend in Loanhead.

I'm posting this message because I'd like everyone to know how
incredibly helpful and what an inspiration George was to me. When the
Internet arrived in the early 1990's, he was one the first ship
modelers to embrace this revolutionary new technology and go online
to reach out to other modelers around the world, assisting them in
any way he could. He was very well known in most of the online model
ship forums and no matter if it was a modeling question or a
detailing question about an actual ship, George was an endless source
of information. He was part of one of the very first internet
advisory groups on model ships known as the "Model Boat Wizards" and
was tremendously effective in assisting experienced modelers and
beginners alike, between whom he made absolutely no distinction. As a
beginner, I knew that whenever I needed ANY information on ship
modeling or prototype information, I could always email George and
there would be a detailed reply in my inbox within hours.

We first met online when I expressed my interest in "Director" Class
paddle tugs and he immediately sent me a series of photos he had
taken at Roseath of the very last example, RMAS "Director" before it
was scrapped at Roseath. George had already built a model of these
Royal Navy paddle tugs and we exchanged many emails on the subject of
the "Directors", the last paddle tugs ever built.

George sometimes sent me pictures of his own models of which he was
justifiably proud. One of his "classics" was the 1/72 Revell Flower
Class Corvette kit adapted so effectively to the famous ocean
tug "Sudbury", once based right here in Victoria, British Columbia.
Thankfully details of that conversion have been preserved on the
internet at Bob Pearson's web site where thousands of modelers around
the world have admired the model and the article which accompanies
it. It can be found at:
http://www.cbrnp.com/RNP/Flower/MODELS/Sudbury/Sudbury.htm

George also maintained his association with Canada when he converted
the same Revell kit to the Canadian Flower class short fo'c'sle
Corvette "Agassiz". Once again this excellent article has been
preserved with Bob Pearson at:
http://www.cbrnp.com/RNP/Flower/MODELS/Agassiz/Agassiz.htm

George recently sent me photos of his latest model of USS "John D.
Ford", once again in the 1/72 scale he loved to model in. He was
Secretary of the Task Force 72 Scale Model Ship Association in the UK
and had also been very active for many years in the Surface Warship
Association and was the Editor of their Newsletter, "Quarter Deck".

Not only did he have a presence on the Internet, George was a long
standing and active member of the Edinburgh Model Boat Club in
Scotland. He was a well known and much loved character at Model Boat
Shows on both sides of the border where often displayed his models.

So, George, on behalf of all those of us you have helped and the
thousands you've touched both online and in the "real world", I want
to say "Thank you, old Friend". Thank you for sharing your lifetime
of knowledge and experience with us and for inspiring us with your
enthusiasm for the model ships you love so much. It has been a
privilege knowing you and I will miss you greatly.

I'm sure that those of you who knew George will join me in sending
our deepest condolences to Gary and members of his family.

Paul Jordan
Moderator "Paddleducks"
http://www.paddleducks.co.uk
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.