Vale Ian Shaughnessy: A True Friend & Aviation Icon

Shorno was my friend! Ian Shaughnessy, also known as “Shorno,” has left us. Born on 5 September 1950, he passed away on 21 September 2024.

Shorno loved his family, aeroplanes, aviation, and people in general. He didn’t suffer fools lightly.

Ian spent the first 21 years of his working career in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), serving aboard the “Hercules” aircraft.

Shorno left the RAAF in 1989 and discovered the joys of flying small aircraft, particularly his beloved single-seat “Tyro,” with “The Barossa Birdmen” at Truro in South Australia. That same year, he became a member of the Australian Ultralight Federation (AUF), holding member number 002573.

Ian was a gregarious person who loved the company of his friends. He joined the Freemasons in 1972 and was an extremely active participant in the organisation. Over the years, he was installed as Master on several occasions. A Freemason colleague described Ian as the “epitome of mischief,” a sentiment many of his friends would wholeheartedly endorse.

While talking about Ian with one of my daughters—who, like all my children, thought he was wonderful—she remarked that it didn’t matter if you were a child; Shorno always treated you as an equal. His warm and engaging manner made you feel special and was a unique trait of his.

In 1993, Ian was elected to the AUF Board as the South Australian (SA) Representative. The following year, he was part of a committee that recruited me onto the AUF staff. Over the subsequent years, we became very close friends.

On one occasion during a visit to Truro, I was involved in an aircraft mishap. The incident included a failed engine, a stall on short final, significant forward momentum, an immovable Mallee stump, and me putting my head through the windscreen. While awaiting delivery to the hospital, I sat in a chair in the clubhouse as Shorno removed larger pieces of Perspex and twigs from my head. A lady rushed in and exclaimed, “I heard there was an aircraft accident—can I help?” Shorno, using his best ventriloquist voice, flopped my loose scalp up and down and replied, “No thanks, we’ll be right!” At that moment, the would-be helper turned pale and fainted on the spot. It lightened the mood in the clubhouse considerably.

Speaking of Truro, Shorno was a significant mover and shaker at the Truro airstrip. Those who were there will never forget the celebrations in the clubhouse, with Ian’s wife, Julka, and her team of helpers catering for the masses time and again.

In addition to enjoying himself, Shorno was a hard worker. He served as the AUF/RAAus Treasurer from 1995 to 1997 and again from 1999 to 2004. It was at his instigation that the Board decided to move out of rented business premises and acquire office accommodation in Canberra. He handled all the financial aspects of the purchase. When he stepped down as Treasurer, he left RAAus with one million dollars in reserve funds.

RAAus extends heartfelt condolences to Ian’s wife, Julka; their children, Nicole, Kym, Leanne, and James; and their grandchildren, Mitchell, Siobhan, Imogen, Kehan, Ethan, Logan, and Elliott.

Goodbye Ian my friend, you will be sorely missed!