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Members and guest may be aware of BFFC's involvement in the dedication of a bronze plaque on Artie McAdams grave in Port Lonsdale cemetery.  This brief article outlines Artie’s involvement with fly fishing in New Zealand and Ballarat 

Artie McAdam was one of those larger than life characters who injected enthusiasm into the competitive fly casting and the approach to fishing within the Ballarat Fly Fishers Club.
Prior to joining our club in 1957 he was a member of the Ballarat Casting Club and whatever he became involved in he attracted a following of disciples and I among others became one, he won the Victorian Fly Casting Championship in 1960 at the Twin Lakes complex at Gordon, where h
e also fished quite successfully for the big trout it produced. He later won the Australian Fly Casting championship in 1961 and then took a team of BFFC casters to compete in New Zealand and the contingent included John Close, Roger McNeight, John McKay, Fred Eva, Graham Latter and Kevin Arnold and I am fairly sure that Artie funded the cost of this trip for these members, he was not a wealthy person but he was always generous with knowledge and the passion he had for fishing.
He conducted a cartage contract business and as described so accurately in Keith Risdales' book the Cast of the Century.

The truck being a covered in furniture van was a comfortable place to sleep. No wonder he was so good at casting and fishing, he got more practice than most. The truck, incidentally, was used on numerous occasions by the Anglers and Fly Fishers Clubs, through the generosity of Artie , to transport members on angling outings and rabbit drives. Artie joined the Ballarat Anglers Club in 1945 and was elected to Committee in 1948. He was the Clubs Press Correspondent in 1951 and  in 1952 and the Radio, T.V. and Press Correspondent from 1960 to 1969. He conducted an angling show on a local radio station 3BA for many years and promoted the sport to the local listeners. In 1953 he was elected as one of the five Vice Presidents of the Club, a position he held until 1970. He was also a member of the Ballarat Acclimatisation Society and its President in 1967-68.

Artie was a much loved and respected member of the Ballarat Fly Fishers Club which joined in 24/06/1957, a President in 1961-63 and a Life Member on the 14/06/1966. A position in a mining company in Port Hedland in Western Australia took Artie away from Ballarat in 1970 and on his return to Victoria in the late 70’s he and his wife Sadie took up residency in Queenscliff. At this time while visiting New Zealand regularly, he took a very young Gary McKay and Stephen Lock on their first trips to New Zealand, to the Rakia River in the South Island, a scene of Gary’s father John McKay’s early exploits. Shortly after Sadie’s death Artie left to reside in New Zealand, which he had grown to love over his many visits to that country. At first living with Arthur & Shirley Rendall in Rotorua where he often stayed with Sadie, and then renting a flat of Arthur’s in McKee Avenue Rotorua. At this time Stephen Lock returned to fish Rotorua for the first time, being guided by the experienced Artie and a year later many members followed, as while living in Rotorua he was always keen to welcome visitors from the Ballarat Anglers and Ballarat Fly Fishers Club such as Fred Eva, Barry Whelan, Roger McNeight, Stephen Lock, Ross Jordan from the Southern Fly Fishers Club, and later John Payne, Shane Stevens and Rodney McNeight. Artie was always keen to see the Ballarat Fly Fishers Club make a Club trip to Rotorua which had been in the planning for many years. Artie unfortunately died in September 1992. His funeral service was held in Ballarat and he was buried in Queenscliff with Sadie. The Ballarat Fly Fishers Club New Zealand Trip finally happening in May 1994, unfortunately Artie could not be our guide, but his protégés at that time Roger McNeight, Stephen Lock and Barry Whelan, ably guided the members to Artie’s favourite fishing spots, trustingly organized by Robert Haines, supported by Jim & Debbie (Rendall) Harvey of Rotorua and other members of the Ballarat Fly Fishers Club. The trip had been such a success that every two years, the Club returns to Rotorua to blood in new members and pass on the knowledge of our past Master and to enjoy his passion for life and the fly-fishing and the clubs he loved so much.


Text taken from ‘The Cast of the Century’ by Keith Ridsdale, with extra notes added
by Stephen Lock