New Forum Administrator

[Administrator]

I am pleased to announce that Geoff (firefighter) is going to take over the administrator role for an indefinate period of time.

Geoff is long time and well respected member, and I'm sure you agree is well qualified for the role.

As you know, for some time now I've wanted a break from running the forum, and Geoff has kindly offered to take the reins.

The administrator runs the forum, with the help of 3 moderators,...... and has the final say in any matters .....the boss ;D

The forum has its own admin discussion board, where matters are discussed, ie any troublesome members, decisions about what should, and what should not go on the forum .....etc etc .....these issues are discussed via the admin board, just as members do on all the other boards.
The buck stops at the administrator ....he has the final call.

The administrator can also appoint moderators, and change a moderator's profile back to a normal member.

The administrator makes announcements about forum changes, and change of forum guidelines, .......the moderators and administrator will discuss these issues, and the administrator will announce the outcomes.

The administrator can also modify your profile, for example, if you have an inappropriate or offensive avatar, or signature, the administrator can change, or delete it.

The administrator can also turn the forum pink ;D ;D

I wish Geoff well in his new role, and thank the moderating team for the support that they have given me,

Mark

[winterwood]

Hi Mark,

Just wanted to say, a personal "congratulations and well done", on having the initiative to develop, nurture, and administer this wonderful site since its inception, all those years ago.

This site is a great source of ideas, inspiration, assistance and humour to many, many V V enthusiasts and you should be justifiably proud of what you have achieved. We all owe you a sincere debt of gratitude!

Congratulations also to Geoff (Fire fighter) for taking over the reins.

Max

[sportsman 1]

A big thanks to Mark for bringing this forum into being.

It is an understatement to say that without his initiative I for one would be just another individual who likes old caravans. This forum and its many colorful characters have brought so much enjoyment to my life.

Have an enjoyable and well earned rest Mark, I hope this decision will get you back to what you love best.

All the best to you also Geoff (firefighter), a big task I am sure you will handle admirably.

Cheers to all, Leigh.

[Geoff & Jude]

Hi Mark,

A big thanks from us for all the enjoyment that we have had since joining this crazy bunch.

Have a great break from all this, but don't be a stranger.

Geoff, welcome aboard & I'm sure you will do a great job, just keep the Valium handy ;D ;D ;D

Jude & Geoff

[ronmcgr]

Hi Mark,

A forum moderator is a very non rewarding job!
It is great that you created this site and it will get a lot bigger as more people "get into" older Caravans ;D

Enjoy your rest and the friendly banter on the forum.

Geoff, I hope they are kind to you ;D

Cheers,
Ron

[bradngem]

Thanks Mark for all your effort over the last 5 years. We look forward to catching up for the spring tour next week.
Best of luck to you Geoff. ;D
Gem

[Deleted]

Hi Mark

Enjoy the break.
Now you can get out there and use some of those vans stuffed in the shed at Beverly. Take the time to sniff the roses and enjoy what you started back in 2004.
I have said it so many times before... to talk about the hobby is one thing. to use the vans is the real deal.

I am sure you will keep a "finger on the pulse " even if you dont hold an "executive position " on the forum.

I know me and you have locked horns on many occasions and history shows that i have come out second best on most of those occasions.
Sorry for rubbing you up the wrong way sometimes for that i ... i .. apalossa.....applestrudel.. apologi... apollo.. i dang i just can't say it.
as others have said.. it aint easy dealing with "difficult " people and the life of a moderator / administrator isnt an easy one.
Its a thankless job
In short ya can please some of the people some of the time ..... but.. not all of the people all of the time....

On the same token we have had our share of good times, beers etc at the 2 previous Nationals and enjoyed each others company... well at least thats the way i seen it.....??..hmmmmm .. perhaps its the computers and the forum itself that is our stumbling block

Anyway mate.. chill out whatever ya doin to unwind..
And.. Congrats to Firefighter.
I am sure you are a capable captain and with your crew of moderators..
Hope the adminstrative waters are calm for you and its plain sailing in the future. ;D

Reddo

[mpower]

Thanks Mark for all your efforts as administrator and all the best. Good luck to you Geoff for taking on this most difficult task. Sorry will not be able to make Mildura next May as Maureen and I will be overseas.

Mark and Maureen

Jackass Flat

[Franklin1]

Hey f/f, congratulations on your "promotion"! ;D ;D

I can't think of anyone more suitably qualified to put out the spot fires that erupt on this forum from time to time

If it's ok with you, I might just test out your level of patience with a couple of my best Don caravan jokes. ;D ;D
Or maybe a few inappropriate remarks about Chevys just to kinda help you get the feel of things.
Only too happy to help you settle in to the job, f/f!!

And to MarkT - When people go and ask old people in nursing homes the question: "What would you do if you had your time over again?", you'd be hard pressed finding anybody who answers: "I wish I'd worked more hours."
So, you've certainly made your contribution to the cause, and you can now get some of those working hours back for other things. Enjoy your opportunity to regain your sanity, your health and well-being. Thanks for steering the ship so admirably over the years.

Oh, and thanks for causing another addiction that I have to fight...

Best wishes to both of you, f/f and MarkT,
cheers,
Al.

[cobber]

G'day Mark,

As one of the blokes who likes to think I encouraged you to start this vintage caravan forum I want to thank you and Ditzy for getting it up and going.

It's obvious you have brought a whole lot of people together... some of whom previously had no idea there was so much interest in Vintage caravans.... sure there's a couple of stirrers, and a couple of drama queens but crikey.... aren't they in the minority.

Your choice of a new Administrator is a good one, I'm sure Geoff will do a good job, he is a diplomat.

For me Mark .....you will always be thought of as the bloke with a vision who put “Vintage Caravanning” in Australia on the map....... top job, feel proud.. and enjoy your new found freedom .

Cobber.

[DC3Td]

Congratulations Firefighter. May your sanity & patience remain intact. cheers gordon

[firefighter]

Hi
I would like to thank Mark for the opportonity to take on the role
of Administrator of www.vintagecaravans.com
Also thanks to the 3 Moderators for agreeing that I should take this role on
Last week after talking to Mark about the role I thought jbj had the job in the bag ....but today jbj after talking to Mark decided he wanted to stop as a Moderator and look after the membership side of the forum if jbj had not knocked the job back I would not be writing this now ......thanks jbj
One job Mark is still going to continue with is looking after the mail box, enquires to www.vintagecaravans / emails /snail mail /phone calls etc
I am looking forward to working with the Moderators one of the things Mark would like is to see is this forum survive and go ahead in leaps & bounds onto the next decade .........Changes my pet hate....... if I had my way Telstra or what every it is called today would still be the PMG ....yes I know the world is changing and I have to keep up

Moderation of posts & threads (the hot word at the moment )
I guess when I work out all the new features I now have on the
computer this will be discussed with the moderators and try and come up with way to please every body ...yes I know thats impossible

I know Mark is looking forward to his break from the forum and hitting the road in his old cars & v/vans ...perhaps we might even see the B B B from mildura turn up at the vintage vans nationals at mildura next year ??

2010 Calendars still happening we expect them about oct/nov
the same time frame as last year

Franklin 1's Quote
I can't think of anyone more suitably qualified to put out the spot fires that erupt on this forum from time to time

If it's ok with you, I might just test out your level of patience with a couple of my best Don caravan jokes.
Or maybe a few inappropriate remarks about Chevys just to kinda help you get the feel of things.
Only too happy to help you settle in to the job, f/f!!

Thanks Al

Thanks everybody for you encouragement

Geoff ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[atouchofglass]

All the best to you Mark for all the hard work and effort that we know very little about
As has already been said .... thanks for thinking up this site and going ahead with it

Glad to hear you will still be around... in a less stressful capacity

Geoff..... congrats and now the hard work begins

All the best to both of you
Change brings new challenges and who knows what can be achieved with it

Cheers
Atouchofglass

[JBJ]

Hi Geoff,

Mark picked the right guy as administrator. Congratulations. I looki forward to working with you. Its sad to see Mark stand aside, but he's done enough so far & deserves a break.

I originally thought I could contribute to the position, but then thought about my kids calling me cranky old fart.

I enjoy being a moderator most of the time, & as I work on the computer pretty long hours (sometimes) I felt I would be able to do more for the Forum staying as a Moderator.
Hence the call to Mark.

Between the 4 of us we'll manage to bumble along .

JBJ

[Administrator]

From willyn :

I would like to say simply I think Jeff is a fantastic choice as Administrator
I have had my fair share of controversy on the site and have worked our way through it to this point in time

this site is a good site for people of all persuasion
from bondwood to bauxite to fobbergrass
from safety officers to naturopaths to bankers school teachers to hot rod builders
Mark and Jenny have ridden the storm as many of us have and because we are only mere mortals we all have our shortcomings and the pressures of everyday life effect us in many different ways
I think it is a good time to set aside any differences and move on to greener pastures for the vintage van site
I would like to see all past members that have been offended by past posts or actions of any member sort out the differences that may have been causing and reset or rewind back to when the site began
where we all had one thing in common mainly a good time with vintage caravans as the binding agent
to anyone we may have personally offended we would like to apologise and move forward
particularly cobber and Yvonne for reddos birthday bash at Mt gambier after partying late
dennis and I are mates and we should all move forward in the same direction giving and taking caring and understanding about the role that Jeff has to carry out in his new capacity
I was a critic of over moderating and the loss of the humour component
and would like to see more spontanety ( laughs ) included again
after saying that I think we all know the levels that are acceptable and the what is not acceptable
Thanks to Mark for a brave decision to de stress his life and for Jennys contributions which were considerable in forming the talk back forum (original forum)thanks a lot for getting us here
and now I think we should give Jeff and the moderators every consideration understanding that there tasks are to keep this site on an even keel without pay
Hoping Kris and Col are contributing members again
all in favour of moving forward say AYE!!!!

Will and Lyn

[aussietanker]

Hi Mark ...

I can only echo what others have said ... thank you so very much for the vision to start this thing ... and to keep it going for so long ... i am sure that there have been many times when it would have been pretty tough to "hang in there' ... but you did .... and inspired a whole bunch of us ...

we all have different levels of involvement in this forum ... and different ideas and approaches to vv's in general ... but for many of us ... it was your vision that gave us the "kick start' that we needed ...

Thank You for all that ... and so much more that we are all probably not aware of ... your posts will be missed by all of us ... but enjoy the "sabbatical"

and to the new boss ....

CONGRATULATIONS ..... and very well done .... ;D

i am sure that you will do a great job .... and your continued contribution to the "movement' will be greatly appreciated as it has always been in the past ....

best wishes to all

regards
rod
A\T

[Deleted]

thanks to those who have replied to this thread, and their kind words .....

If Jenni (ditzy) had the "controls" to this forum, it would have been shut down long ago ...............
she quite simply had had a "gutfull" of the bickering, bunfights and ill feeling created via this forum..... from a handfull of members.
You'll notice the woman who did the very first post in July 2004, no longer posts, .......and won't ...............

The forum very nearly closed in July 2008 following much trouble, and again in Febuary of this year, after major trouble resulting in the resignation of two moderators ...........

But .......I have kept it going for the 97% of members who really do enjoy it, ....and those who have met many new friends as a result of this forum, and .......for the many many caravans that have been restored as a result of this forum ......many members luv displaying their resto projects on this forum, and many many more members luv viewing the projects of others .....just look at the No of hits on some resto threads ..... JBJ's Lucille for eg .....in excess of 10000 hits

Thats why I have never shut down this forum, .....and never will

So, ....now that I'm no longer involved in the running of this forum, hopefully, I can enjoy it, like everyone else

Mark

[myvan]

Thanks Mark for setting up this forum
Regards
Kathryn and Paul

[vernon]

Being new to the forum Des and l would like to thank you Mark for creating? (hope that's the right word) this site. It has given us alot of knowledge, enjoyment, and at different times the inspiration to finish Vernon. (Sometimes you really need that). All the best to you , and to F/F on your new role.

Des and Kel.

[exocet]

A big thankyou to Mark and Jenny and congratulations to Geoff. A forum much enjoyed by Exocet. {James and Sharon}

[heath]

Mark,

Congratulations for putting such a vibrant, fascinating web site together. It must have absorbed a huge chunk of your private time, and we're all enjoying the fruits of your labour, in varying degrees of participation. Hope to meet you in the future when I finish my van and get together with members at events and outings.

I'd like to pass on to you some words penned by my favourite Singer/Songwriter Gordon Lightfoot

" I wish you good spaces, in the far away places you go,
If it rains or it snows.........may you be safe and warm,
and never grow old"


Kind regards,



Heath