Mark MacDonald received the 2021 Jill Borst Memorial Trophy for being an outstanding ambassador for the sport.
This is the nomination from Kyla MacDonald (no relation!)
Mark is in the Waikato Club, but he pretty much holds the whole of the North Island together.
If I were to picture the model pilot citizen, it would be Mark.
Not only is he an active pilot (always out if there's a possibility), he always makes a point of actively encouraging other pilots to come and join - whether it be new pilots, visiting pilots, pulling pilots out of retirement, or the regular crew.
He's fair, welcoming, friendly and safety-conscious - always makes sure there is a safety brief on launch for newer pilots. He does record-breaking flying himself (just recently breaking the Kaimais site record, which was already held by him) but also makes a point of celebrating other pilots - with the informal 'eagle' award every flying day.
When he's not flying, he's off schmoozing landowners to make sure we maintain good relationships.
On top of that he's President of his local Club, he's organising competitions (he was a co-organiser of last year's PG Open) and he's trialling different tools to help keep pilots safe and coordinated in their flying activities (eg voting system in WhatsApp for Kaimais flying).
He does all this for no financial gain or any personal benefit other than because he loves flying. I think he's an outstanding ambassador for our sport.
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