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Roger joined the Association in 1976 and was elected to the Victorian Branch Committee of Management in June 1978 becoming vice-president in 1979 and president from June 1980 to June 1984. He remained a member of the COM until 1989.
In 1982, at the request of the Federal Committee of Management, Roger who was then President of the AMRA Victoria Branch undertook a survey of various types of equipment which would be suitable for the printing of Journal at a lower cost and greater convenience. On the basis of this report the Victorian branch COM (with the approval of the Federal COM) undertook to purchase a second hand offset printer. When this printer was installed Roger was appointed as Acting Publisher of Journal. In 1984 with Federal COM having taken over the publisher role, Roger was appointed as Journal Layout Officer and later in the same year also became Managing Editor and Printing Manager.
During June/July 1987, Roger was incapacitated as a result of a car accident but did not allow this incident to prevent Journal from being produced on time. In late 1989 Roger resigned as Printing Manager. His work load thus being somewhat lightened Roger continued as both Managing Editor and Layout Officer until he finally resigned at the end of 1999.
Many years ago when redevelopment of the large Victorian Branch permanent club layout made it desirable to alter it to a 'walk-in' configuration, Roger undertook its redesign to conform to the altered requirement; the several redesigns that have become necessary subsequently have also in the main been Roger's work including the very extensive modifications to the large area that was made vacant by the relocation of the drivers' stand. While others have also contributed to these redesigns, Roger has been the driving force.
Roger has also over the years scratchbuilt virtually all of the turnouts for the layout known as the "Stonnington Valley Railway". Not content with that, Roger has also built most if not all of the turnouts on both the "Kyneton" and "Wills St." layouts. The number of turnouts thus produced is now well over 100. In his own time Roger is building a layout at home a task which, as we all know, involves much more than the building of turnouts.
Roger has received both a meritorious award and honorary life membership for the contributions that he has made to both the Victorian branch and AMRA as a whole.
