Barry Bateman, HPAC Member #1

In the month of November 2017, the Canadian hang gliding community lost one of our “old timers”. A true driving force of the early days of the HPAC and flying in Canada, Member #1, Barry Bateman.

After what Barry himself defined as a “full life and can’t complain”, he accepted his fate and lost a short battle with an aggressive cancer. Barry caught his ride to what-ever might be awaiting him on the “other side”.

Thinking back about Barry’s contributions to Hang Gliding in Canada I should start by clearing up the story behind Barry’s HPAC #1 membership. No, Barry was not the first member of the HPAC. The truth is, Barry had learned to fly in that far off fog bound little country of proper queues and a stiff upper lip; England.

During the mid 80’s, the HPAC was going through a bit of renewal with many of us, including Barry were participating in the various HPAC/ACVL director positions. Barry insisted, core to a national organization should be a “News Letter” (a method to communicate and bring this vast country together). We also needed reliable membership services that included ratings and a membership cards (Barry brought over from England the values of “Clubs”… very British….). Barry insisted that rather than relying on volunteers, the time had come for the HPAC to have a paid administrator. A few of us argued, but like all things involving discussions with Barry it was futile, so it was agreed, Barry (who was looking for a little part time work…that would, of course allow him lots of flying time!) would take on the first paid position of HPAC Administrator.

The first order of business was to update and create a new database (something super high tech… I think it was a high jacked copy of Lotus 123?). According to Barry, there was no logical way to translate the old numbers into the new database. Trust me… the explanation seemed reasonable as Barry did seem to spend days hunkered down in front of his IBM 386XT working on the data base … or maybe he was just playing pong?

Like all great nations and organizations, rebirth would include “corruption, collusion and opportunity”. Barry made his first entry into the database: Barry Bateman, membership #1 !
I protested… so I received #2 (personally I believed my protest was valid, after all I was the President/Emperor of the HPAC/ACVL at the time….). In the end I gave up and let Barry have his #1. I figured if those pesky members got restless the first lynching would involve #1.

Barry also took on the role of National News Letter Editor. He was a true ink stained wretch of the Fifth Estate. He took the task “full-on”. He hounded every director and member for material and he published on schedule, no exceptions. In the late 80’s, he taught himself to use the cutting-edge software of the day, Aldus PageMaker. I remember on several occasions the newsletter was coming up short on content and I made the big mistake of suggesting, “why not delay the publishing date”? Yikes!... with clenched teeth he responded with “I will publish blank pages before I push off a print schedule”! That was Barry.

I remember one year, Barry booked a vacation to one of his most favorite places on the planet, Australia (I thought I should mention his love of Australia because if there was one place on the planet he could drone on and on about, it was the wonderful land of OZ!). The thing is, the HPAC did not offer any sort of Union labor standards for time off and he still needed somebody to put out the newsletter. Skillfully, he sucked me into learning how to use his Pagemaker template. Somehow, we (the HPAC) survived (I think I can still taste the glue of hundreds of licked stamps and envelopes!).

I must say, with this being my first and albeit short tenure as HPAC editor, Barry did teach me a very important fact regarding the publishing of a periodical. The actual content of an article is unimportant! As long as the number of words filled the allotted space and did not interfere with a nice picture you were as good as gold (More than few times I heard Barry use his favorite phrase “no problem” ! ) Based on what I see in the various periodicals that I read today, “word count” over “content” is king.

Of course, when Barry returned from Oz he offered up his traditional “Bateman appreciation” … he complained I was 2 weeks late getting out the first of my editions… ungrateful little….
For well over a decade, starting in the mid 80’s Barry doggedly pumped out 4 national newsletters and made sure “paid” members got their membership cards.

Along with his major contribution to the early operation of the HPAC Barry was one of our leaders in the flying community on the West Coast of Canada. He contributed as an instructor and dealer of UK gliders like the Magic and Magic Kiss. He was also a competitor and organizer of many of the hang gliding comps that occurred during the 80’s and 90’s. One of the more notable contests, the Cache Creek Team Meet. The contest would often be the seasons wind up bash. It promoted team flying… or at least creative team names!

Well visiting Barry in hospital, we reminisced the “old days” and both agreed that the 90’s (and slipping into the 2000’s ) for Hang Gliding, was the “Golden Age” for the sport.
The contests, the politics, the organizing and the flying, Barry through his heart into to all of it. As a pilot he was always the “little guy” on a “big glider” that would tenaciously out sink, out scratch anybody who tried to climb to the top of the pack. Like I said, everything was done with passion… and a little English “Bull Dog” pride.

I will always remember Barry’s “No problem” attitude toward flying and its community. He worked with great passion to bring this great big country of Canada under the umbrella of one national organization. He could drive people a little nut’s in the process, but after all, deep down…. He was English!

In later years Barry drifted away from hang gliding and onto the new passion of sailing. He married, bought a boat and sailed the “the big blue”. His adventures had him sailing the many distant ports of the Pacific.

Barry would often chastised me for not getting out of my flying rut…. “there is more to flying than just hanging around here, you should get out there and see the world”!

My reply would always be the same, “the dirt in Mansfield Washington is no different than the dirt of the Ozzy outback… and ….of course, without all the infamous Ozzy snakes and spiders” …. he would laugh.

Which brings me to this…..

In sports, a team will often show respect for key players that help define or contribute to the history of the team by retiring a players Jersey and number. I think it would be a fare tribute for the HPAC and its members to at least symbolically recognizing Barry’s #1 “virtual” Jersey up into the rafters. A bunch of us old timers from back in the day would be more than happy to hoist a glass and say “Cheers”.

Martin Henry
HPAC Member #2 😉