I was able to visit the IPMS UN Nationals in Stoneleigh, England in 1987. While there, I met Les Burningham, a master modeler who, in the 1990’s, won the coveted “Best Model of the Year” at the UK Nationals. We started a correspondence that has stood the test of time, now going into its nineteenth year.Three years later, I visited England again, to visit with Les and his wonderful wife Jan, to visit relatives on the Island of Sheerness, and to attend the 1990 UK Nationals. While at Stoneleigh, I met many of the IPMS Farnborough members, the club to which Les belongs. One of the best results of that visit (and there were many good ones) was that I was made an Honorary Member of IPMS Farnborough.

Early this year, the Farnborough Club Executive offered me the opportunity to become a full-fledged member, and I quickly and happily accepted. Subsequently, the Farnborough Executive (through Les) contacted me with a very interesting proposal: would IPMS Ottawa consider the possibility of “twinning” with IPMS Farnborough? As he wrote in his email, “It was also discussed that maybe the two clubs, yours and ours, should be twinned and a greater link forged between us."

The idea is much the same as town twinning, which started after World War Two in Europe. “Town twinning” or “sister cities” is a concept where towns or cities from geographically and politically distinct areas are paired, with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links. In Europe, such pairs of towns are known as “twin towns,” “friendship towns” or, in German, “partner towns” (Partnerstädte). In North America and Australasia, the term “sister cities” is used for the same concept; and “brother cities” (города-побратимы) is the term in the former Soviet bloc. Twin towns often (though by no means always) have similar demographic and other characteristics. Sometimes, even larger areas enter into "twinning" agreements, such as that between the provinces of Hainan in China and Jeju in South Korea. The concept can be likened to a scaled up version of a “penpal” arrangement, where the "pals" are whole towns or cities. In practice, the twinning arrangements often lead to student exchanges, as well as economic and cultural collaborations.

The practice of town twinning was developed in Europe after the Second World War, as a way to bring European people into a closer understanding of each other and to promote cross-border projects of mutual benefit. The very first town twinning ever dates back to 1947 when Bristol Council in England sent five “leading citizens” on a goodwill mission to Hanover, Germany. While still more popular as a concept in Europe than elsewhere, the idea has now spread to other continents, leading to some very interesting pairings. As an example of how extensive the Program can be, the town of Coventry in England is twinned with twenty-six other cities around the world.

After our initial informal discussions, I received an email from Peter Readman, the Branch Secretary for IPMS Farnborough. He also discussed the idea, and outlined several advantages and initiatives that both clubs might like. For example, Peter suggested hosting and guiding visitors from and to each club. As he said, “We have individuals visiting Canada from time to time, and I'm sure you have visitors to the UK; it's always nice to have some modeling friends in a strange country to meet, and who can help with local knowledge for excursions.” He noted other ideas, such as the interchange of ideas in the running of clubs, and providing a supply of hard-to-get modeling items (“We may have easier access to some UK products than you have, and vice-versa.”)

My response listed a few more advantages to the Twinning idea: making and maintaining Special Interest links between members (I’m reentering the realm of World War One aviation, and all I needed for motivation was to see the work of IPMS Farnborough President Rod Ulrich); an interclub decal or kit exchange programme; an interclub reference listing (here are our members, here’s what their interests are, and here’s their email address to ask questions); and the ubiquitous final thought: any other good idea that arises!

I am very happy to report that, at the IPMS Ottawa club meeting on April 4, 2006, the membership unanimously endorsed the initiative. Subsequently, at the IPMS Farnborough meeting on April 10, 2006, the membership also endorsed the initiative. As we stand now, the Twinning is an accomplished fact. It now remains for us to prosecute this exciting idea to the benefit of our membership and, possibly, to the benefit of IPMS at large.

So the idea has many advantages for club members. But there is another advantage for the overall IPMS movement. We now have a direct link between two IPMS clubs, which are in two different countries five time zones apart. We are mutually and voluntarily linked over that distance, connected by the Internet and a dedication to our hobby. This is, I think, the first time that a connection of this type has been made. If so, it sets a precedent for IPMS chapters worldwide to follow. Twinning in this fashion really emphasizes the “International” in “International Plastic Modeler’s Society.” If there are other internationally twinned IPMS chapters, I would very much like to hear of them, and to learn how these are organized and progressing.