Gordon Fitz

The annual awards dinner of the Association of Model Engineers (AME) to award members that took part in competitions held during the Association's model exhibition in Naxxar in 2015 took place in Le Meridien Hotel.  

A special guest from the UK during this activity was Harry Paviour, a fire safety consultant by profession but a model engineer in his free time who won the UK's most prestigious model engineering award for an all-metal workable locomotive he once built. In recent years he has been serving as a model competitions judge during exhibitions held in various parts of the UK. Mr Paviour made contact with AME through its website before he visited the island for the first time in January 2015 and the Association Committee was pleased to welcome him and invite him to give a lecture to its members during one of its meetings.

Mr Paviour decided that he would visit the island again later that year and since his visit would coincide with the AME's annual competitions awards dinner the Association Committee was happy to invite him to attend and present the awards. Mr Paviour not only accepted this honour but he also presented AME with a beautiful trophy which he called the 'Malta Cup' to be awarded annually to a different Association member for dedication to the hobby and the Association.

The Association Committee considered it appropriate that the first to receive the 'Malta Cup' should be Mr Thomas Restall whose interest in engineering locomotive models was similar to that of Mr Paviour. Apart from creating exceptionally beautiful all-metal and workable locomotive models from scratch, at 93 years of age Thomas is the oldest member of AME and has been a member in the Association for over 25 years.

Unfortunately for health reasons Thomas is unable to attend AME meetings and he also missed the awards dinner however, Mr Paviour was taken to his home to present him with the 'Malta Cup'.

'Thank you for remembering me' were the emotional words repeated by an overjoyed Thomas to his AME friends and to Mr Paviour who took a great interest in the locomotives on display in the house and which he described as exceptional engineered models.