The Group Captain (Ret’d) Len Baldock Memorial Award for Association Member-of-the-Year

If you would like to nominate a member of the RCAF Association for this prestigious “Member of the Year” award, please consider completing and submitting the form found at the link, here.

Introduced in 1962 by the Chief of the Air Staff, this award honours the RCAF Association member-of-the-year whose skills in performance, inspiration, enthusiasm and leadership in Association activities has been well above the ordinary. This award acknowledges superior performance throughout not only the year of its presentation but also performance over the long term. The award became a Canadian Forces award following military forces integration in 1968. In 1991, following the passing of Leonard Noel Baldock, it was renamed the Len Baldock Memorial Award, in tribute to the Past President, and from that point on referred to as the Air Force Association’s “Member of the Year” award.

Purpose

The purpose of the award, which shall be a plaque affixed with a Canadian Forces badge, inscribed to indicate the recipient as the “Member of the Year”, will honour the performance of one whose skill, enthusiasm, inspiration, direction or leadership in Association activities has been above the ordinary.  It will recognize the achievements of one whose influence has been beneficial, either directly or indirectly, to the national body of the Association. The award will acknowledge superior performance throughout the year in which the award is presented or continuous outstanding performance over a longer period.

William W. Church (252 Wing) – 2001 (Deceased)

CWO (Ret’d) Reginald Daws, MMM, CD – 2014 (Deceased)

The proposal for the Presentation of a Man of the Year Award was submitted by the National Executive Council to the delegates in attendance at the 1959 Annual General Meeting. The opening paragraph to the proposal reads as follows: The Man of the Year Award is conceived to recognize the outstanding contribution of a member of the Association in the  achievement of RCAF Association aims and objects. It is intended to honour the performance of one whose skill, enthusiasm, inspiration, direction, or leadership in Association activities is above ordinary. It is intended to acknowledge his superior performance throughout the year rather than any single brilliant action. It is intended to recognize the achievements of one whose influence in his Wing and in his group has been beneficial, either directly or indirectly, to the Association as a national body. The first presentation of this award was made at the 1960 Annual General Meeting, held in Toronto, May 19th-20th-21st. Attending this Convention as a Special Guest, was Group Captain J.E. Johnnie Johnson, CBE, DSO, DFC, the famed Second World War Fighter Pilot. Group Captain Johnson made the presentation. However, it was announced that the winner of the award was Mr. P.J. Pat Haberlin of 302 Wing, Quebec City, who had died of a heart attack in February and his wife, Joan, who was in attendance, accepted the award which was made posthumously. This award was a tribute to his devotion to the RCAF Association and his inspiring leadership which he rendered over the years.

N.B.  (1)  This Man of the Year Award is now recognized as Member of the Year.