Post by Brian M on Feb 1, 2009 10:20:56 GMT
From: Brian (Original Message) Sent: 20/07/2006 18:38
I have always been polite about the Safari Owners Club except to point out that they should give up the name now that not one of their owners still has a Safari Caravan. I made contact with their Secretary before starting this group to ensure there would not be any conflict of interest.
I was therefore more than annoyed to receive an email from a member that included:
I found your group by searching the Web after a miserable chat with the secretary of the (ex)Safari Owners Club. He said I'd be lucky to see a Safari at one of the meetings and he said I'd probably be wasting my time trying to keep her on the road. "Take her to scrap yard and buy something newer."
I believe they have about 30 members, we are close to having five times as many! I don't now if any of our members are still members of the SOC, but as they seem to have declared a total disinterest in preserving older Safaris, I would ask that they resign very publicly and make their feelings known to the SOC.
I am going to start a campaign to totally eradicate the Safari Owners Club from all directories/magazines/websites etc, and to have the CSCE group put in their place.
Brian
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Recommend Message 2 of 8 in Discussion
From: ColinCLee Sent: 20/07/2006 18:49
Brian
Don't do that, confrontation isn't necessary, just coolly ignore the slur.
There are still individuals connected with the club who may be useful to us.
Re. Safari History
Regards
Colin
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Recommend Message 3 of 8 in Discussion
From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 20/07/2006 18:56
> I would ask that they resign very publicly and make their feelings known to the SOC.
I at least did so several years ago ...
That apart, I agree with Colin; confrontation is neither necessary nor helpful, and there undoubtedly are still members who have an interest in classic Safaris even though they no longer own them.
It is also fair to note that they ceased to be the Safari Caravan Owners' Club somewhere around 20 years ago; they are now simpy the Safari Caravan Club.
I don't grudge them their retantion of the name which does historically indicate their origins, since they no longer make any claim to be an owners' club.
Regards,
Oliver
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Recommend Message 4 of 8 in Discussion
From: Brian Sent: 20/07/2006 19:32
I have to disagree with both of you - no-one from the SCC has ever been in contact with us, and when their Secretary tells someone who is not a member of their club or our group to scrap a Safari and buy a new one - do you really think any of their members have an interest in Safari Caravans?
I don't mind if other people have no interest in preserving historic artefacts but I get really annoyed with those who advocate getting rid of old stuff just because it is old when there are plenty of conservationists around.
Are either of you in contact with current members to see if the comments are their current policy?
Brian
(beginning to calm down but still annoyed!!)
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Recommend Message 5 of 8 in Discussion
From: ColinCLee Sent: 20/07/2006 19:55
No Brian.
But I still advise against hasty action.
Colin
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Recommend Message 6 of 8 in Discussion
From: Sylvesteruk1 Sent: 20/07/2006 20:17
Brian,
Last year I was on the CC site at Blackmore near Malvern and elderly man came up to me and explained how due to his age and where he lived the SAFARI 15/4 he owned the year previous was now getting to much for him to handle. He was down sizing to a more modern 12/2 which was better suited to his needs.
He said that it he had the SAFARI caravan since new and was always kept under cover and was in excellant condition. He contacted the SOC who told him that there was no demand or interest in the older SAFARI caravans.
The caravan was given to a local farmer to use as a chicken house I think he said.
When I explained the interest he was quite shocked.
When I got interested in SAFARI caravan a year last April I emailed the SOC secretary several times and wrote to him to no avail.
Mike
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Recommend Message 7 of 8 in Discussion
From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 20/07/2006 22:19
The very long-serving Secretary (and several times past Chairman), Bob Smiley, died not all that long ago, and I don't know who has succeded him. Although in his latter years he preferred to rally in his modern 'van, a Carlight if memory serves correctly, he also owned a classic Safari until his death.
Bob Bingham, a recent past Chairman, although I think he has now retired from that office, was the previous owner of my 1980 17-2, and as of a very few months ago he was storing Bob Smiley's Safari with a view to trying to sell it on behalf of the family. Meanwhile to the best of my knowledge he still owns a 14-2, which is on long-term loan to his son.
I am no longer in touch with Tony Jepps, but have no reason to believe that he has ceased to be a member of the club. Last time we met, at which time he was caravanning in his Carlight, he was a fount of knowledge on the history and construction of the Safaris, and was telling me about a Safari (although I don't remember which model) that he had restored and that he still used occasionally.
The "elderly" lady - all right, she is in her eighties - who was in touch with Brian earlier this year to sell her very special 14-2 was (and may well still be) a very longstanding member. Out of respect for her clearly expressed wish to preserve her confidentiality I won't disclose her name here, although I know who she is and I am a one-time friend of the family.
Ted Billington, who died earlier this year, and who was of course the retired Managing Director of the company that built our chassis and the engineer who designed them, was also a life-long member.
My own parents were long-time members, until their deaths.
I neither condone nor excuse the rudeness - and indeed stupidity - of the present Secretary of the club, whom I can't even identify, but I do stand by my statement that at least until very recently they still had members who were genuinely interested in classic Safaris, and who had a long history of involvement with them. I would expect that that is probably still the case, but of course old age and eventual death will have taken its toll.
However they were never set up as a preservation society. In the days when they were an owners' club they were a club for owners of a particular very upmarket make of current and very modern caravan. If their present membership is still primarily interested in modern upmarket current models, that is continuity, and if their interest in classic Safaris is very subsidiary to that we should not really be surprised.
Nonetheless there is no excuse for rudeness, and it is also fair to say that the club as such (as distinct from certain individuals amongst its older members) is probably of little relevance to members of this present group.
Regards,
Oliver
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Recommend Message 8 of 8 in Discussion
From: ColinCLee Sent: 21/07/2006 11:52
Hi Oliver
You do rabbit on.
But I do agree with your sentiments.
Regards
Colin
I have always been polite about the Safari Owners Club except to point out that they should give up the name now that not one of their owners still has a Safari Caravan. I made contact with their Secretary before starting this group to ensure there would not be any conflict of interest.
I was therefore more than annoyed to receive an email from a member that included:
I found your group by searching the Web after a miserable chat with the secretary of the (ex)Safari Owners Club. He said I'd be lucky to see a Safari at one of the meetings and he said I'd probably be wasting my time trying to keep her on the road. "Take her to scrap yard and buy something newer."
I believe they have about 30 members, we are close to having five times as many! I don't now if any of our members are still members of the SOC, but as they seem to have declared a total disinterest in preserving older Safaris, I would ask that they resign very publicly and make their feelings known to the SOC.
I am going to start a campaign to totally eradicate the Safari Owners Club from all directories/magazines/websites etc, and to have the CSCE group put in their place.
Brian
First Previous 2-8 of 8 Next Last
Reply
Recommend Message 2 of 8 in Discussion
From: ColinCLee Sent: 20/07/2006 18:49
Brian
Don't do that, confrontation isn't necessary, just coolly ignore the slur.
There are still individuals connected with the club who may be useful to us.
Re. Safari History
Regards
Colin
Reply
Recommend Message 3 of 8 in Discussion
From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 20/07/2006 18:56
> I would ask that they resign very publicly and make their feelings known to the SOC.
I at least did so several years ago ...
That apart, I agree with Colin; confrontation is neither necessary nor helpful, and there undoubtedly are still members who have an interest in classic Safaris even though they no longer own them.
It is also fair to note that they ceased to be the Safari Caravan Owners' Club somewhere around 20 years ago; they are now simpy the Safari Caravan Club.
I don't grudge them their retantion of the name which does historically indicate their origins, since they no longer make any claim to be an owners' club.
Regards,
Oliver
Reply
Recommend Message 4 of 8 in Discussion
From: Brian Sent: 20/07/2006 19:32
I have to disagree with both of you - no-one from the SCC has ever been in contact with us, and when their Secretary tells someone who is not a member of their club or our group to scrap a Safari and buy a new one - do you really think any of their members have an interest in Safari Caravans?
I don't mind if other people have no interest in preserving historic artefacts but I get really annoyed with those who advocate getting rid of old stuff just because it is old when there are plenty of conservationists around.
Are either of you in contact with current members to see if the comments are their current policy?
Brian
(beginning to calm down but still annoyed!!)
Reply
Recommend Message 5 of 8 in Discussion
From: ColinCLee Sent: 20/07/2006 19:55
No Brian.
But I still advise against hasty action.
Colin
Reply
Recommend Message 6 of 8 in Discussion
From: Sylvesteruk1 Sent: 20/07/2006 20:17
Brian,
Last year I was on the CC site at Blackmore near Malvern and elderly man came up to me and explained how due to his age and where he lived the SAFARI 15/4 he owned the year previous was now getting to much for him to handle. He was down sizing to a more modern 12/2 which was better suited to his needs.
He said that it he had the SAFARI caravan since new and was always kept under cover and was in excellant condition. He contacted the SOC who told him that there was no demand or interest in the older SAFARI caravans.
The caravan was given to a local farmer to use as a chicken house I think he said.
When I explained the interest he was quite shocked.
When I got interested in SAFARI caravan a year last April I emailed the SOC secretary several times and wrote to him to no avail.
Mike
Reply
Recommend Message 7 of 8 in Discussion
From: OliverShaw1 Sent: 20/07/2006 22:19
The very long-serving Secretary (and several times past Chairman), Bob Smiley, died not all that long ago, and I don't know who has succeded him. Although in his latter years he preferred to rally in his modern 'van, a Carlight if memory serves correctly, he also owned a classic Safari until his death.
Bob Bingham, a recent past Chairman, although I think he has now retired from that office, was the previous owner of my 1980 17-2, and as of a very few months ago he was storing Bob Smiley's Safari with a view to trying to sell it on behalf of the family. Meanwhile to the best of my knowledge he still owns a 14-2, which is on long-term loan to his son.
I am no longer in touch with Tony Jepps, but have no reason to believe that he has ceased to be a member of the club. Last time we met, at which time he was caravanning in his Carlight, he was a fount of knowledge on the history and construction of the Safaris, and was telling me about a Safari (although I don't remember which model) that he had restored and that he still used occasionally.
The "elderly" lady - all right, she is in her eighties - who was in touch with Brian earlier this year to sell her very special 14-2 was (and may well still be) a very longstanding member. Out of respect for her clearly expressed wish to preserve her confidentiality I won't disclose her name here, although I know who she is and I am a one-time friend of the family.
Ted Billington, who died earlier this year, and who was of course the retired Managing Director of the company that built our chassis and the engineer who designed them, was also a life-long member.
My own parents were long-time members, until their deaths.
I neither condone nor excuse the rudeness - and indeed stupidity - of the present Secretary of the club, whom I can't even identify, but I do stand by my statement that at least until very recently they still had members who were genuinely interested in classic Safaris, and who had a long history of involvement with them. I would expect that that is probably still the case, but of course old age and eventual death will have taken its toll.
However they were never set up as a preservation society. In the days when they were an owners' club they were a club for owners of a particular very upmarket make of current and very modern caravan. If their present membership is still primarily interested in modern upmarket current models, that is continuity, and if their interest in classic Safaris is very subsidiary to that we should not really be surprised.
Nonetheless there is no excuse for rudeness, and it is also fair to say that the club as such (as distinct from certain individuals amongst its older members) is probably of little relevance to members of this present group.
Regards,
Oliver
Reply
Recommend Message 8 of 8 in Discussion
From: ColinCLee Sent: 21/07/2006 11:52
Hi Oliver
You do rabbit on.
But I do agree with your sentiments.
Regards
Colin