"I'm overwhelmed. It's been an absolute privilege to be associated with the air force people and the Brevet Club. I've been a member of many clubs over the years, but the genuine friendship and camaraderie in the Brevet Club is one of the most amazing things I've seen," Mr Laing said.
"Dad passed away 12 years ago and he would have been very pleased with this. He trained at Taieri Airport on Tiger Moths and ended up flying Lancasters and Wellington bombers up European canals, dropping flares and taking photos on reconnaisance missions."
Mr Laing was presented with a Brevet Club framed certificate and a New Zealand Bomber Command Association associate member badge at a lunch hosted by Brevet Club members at the Dunedin Club yesterday. .
Brevet Club president Neville Selwood said it was "a very auspicious occasion".
"Peter has hosted the club at the Leviathan for many years and the award is for his outstanding contribution to the club. It is the first time we have awarded an honorary membership.
"His father, David, was a stalwart member from the early days.
"He was a distinguished pilot who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for flying low-level reconnaissance missions at 60 feet and coming back with tree branches on the plane."
The Otago Brevet Club had 150 members until the late 1960s but was now down to just nine, Mr Selwood said.
