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Good morning all,
Any chance any of our members know Richard Calver in Australia? He has been an amazing help for me supplying hundreds of links to Model 1892 rifles from within Australia and his personal collection. I have not heard from him in several weeks and both of his emails kick back as not non deliverable.
Michael
Model 1892 / Model 61 Collector, Research, Valuation
I too have not heard from him for several weeks now ??
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Worst fears realized.
While most of the collecting community will have never know Richard Calver I did have the pleasure to have corresponded with him almost daily for several years as he would send me links to Model 1892 rifles being sold in Australia. Our email conversations would span almost anything from Winchesters to the comparisons between our two countries and the current affairs of the day. He was an avid collector of these rifles and an amazing researcher of the history of the “seizure and impressment” of arms by the Australian government during WW II. I found a notice of his death on a Jensen Healy collectors forum and then a link to work he was apparently also doing on these fine cars.
Jensen Healy Research: https://www.richardcalver.com/index.html
WWII Impressment: http://www.seizureandimpressment.com/index.html
Richard was a true gentleman who represented the collecting community well. He never spoke ill will toward anyone and was always as helpful and encouraging as possible. He truly loved the effort of research and the enlightenment that came from it. Characteristics we should all strive to emulate.
I will truly miss him. Thank you for all you helped me with Richard. It is SO appreciated. And sadly even more so now that it is gone.
Michael
Model 1892 / Model 61 Collector, Research, Valuation
That is indeed very sad news. Like you, I corresponded very frequently with Richard (2-3 times per week). Over that past many years he sent me hundreds of URLs for Single Shot rifles and Model 1894 rifles that he had located in Australia and New Zealand… I too will miss him greatly 
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Yes it is very sad news indeed. I spoke Richard regularly and he helped me get Cody letters on some of my Winchesters. I was shocked when I found out.
I enjoyed seeing him at our auctions down here. He was in the middle of writing another book on military impressed arms here in Australia and he did do a great article on them in the WACA magazine. I was only just pointing out our September Winchester in the WACA calendar to my wife, it was Richards Western Australian Police 1892 SRC. The upcoming 2023 calendar also features a couple of his Winchesters.
A lovely bloke who had such knowledge and would research things to the extreme. Most Winchester collectors here in Australia knew Richard. Very sad news.
Chris
A man can never have too many WINCHESTERS...
I was saddened to read this news today. I corresponded a few times with Richard on the topic of the book he was researching on the impressment of arms in Australia in WW2. Ironically, I was about to send Richard some information on the collection of small arms from the public in New Zealand and Canada. The latter being information gleaned from a week spent in the National Archives & Library in Ottawa.
Obviously, form the forgoing posts Richard was well respected in a number if collection community’s. One can only wonder if his manuscript on the impressment of arms in Australia during WW2 will ever see the light of day.
RIP
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