What a milestone, and what a great party. (Good enough to get in the paper: online version here, and to be published in the Maidenhead Advertiser on Friday 31st May.)
Geoff celebrated his birthday where he was based for so much of his working life, White Waltham airfield, surrounded by family, friends and old Faireys. In tribute to the most senior old Fairey, the weather was wonderful, the planes were all flying, and the familiar scent of aviation fuel drifted across the grass. The West London Aero Club provided the food and drink, and the family provided the balloons.
There were quite a lot of family. Children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, cousins, second cousins, second cousins once removed …. Some were getting together for the first time in twenty years. But since Geoff spent most of his working life overseas, they probably haven’t seen very much of him over the years. And so much did he love flying, that when he came up to retirement age, he was owed about three years of accumulated leave!
One of the Hurricanes based at White Waltham was heading out to Duxford, and gave a pass by the airfield in homage to the occasion, to the delight of the crowd, especially the children.
A few pictures from the occasion – right click on the photographs for a full size image (select open in new tab):-
Geoff with his sons Chris (L) and Geoff Jnr (R) 
Here just a few of the family: Lesley, Geoff jnr’s wife (R), granddaughter Beverley Paskin and great grandchildren Arlo Paskin (L) and his sister Amber Paskin 
And the sun shone 
And there was a huge cake 
And a lot of presents 
A very big birthday card (with John Tompkins and Lawrence Scott ), and one from the King and Queen 
And there were more old Fairey pilots. John Mullin here, and Dusty Miller 
And a Hurricane (here being inspected by Geoff before take-off) 
Which did a fly past
Dusty Miller got some good photographs, including some group photographs of the guests at the airfield fence while Geoff was looking at the Hurricane, and an excellent one of the cake.
