Hello all,
I am deeply saddened to report that our forum owner and administrator, David Wilson, passed away on Sunday morning Australian time, 24 March 2024, with his wife Sally, his son Royce, and his family by his side.
Dave took over the forum in 2018, after the sudden passing of Des Deltore, the creator and first owner of the forum. Dave had immense pride for our forum, and worked tirelessly to make our little slice of the modelling world the premier First World War aviation modelling forum on the internet. In that endeavour, he certainly succeeded.
Dave cultivated a strong and long-standing relationships with many major manufacturers, including Special Hobby, KP, Roden, and Eduard, amongst others. These relationships and hard work allowed our forum to flourish into the site that we all have the privilege of sharing today.
Dave’s legacy will live on through each and every one of us who are a part of this forum that he has cultivated. I know you will all feel Dave’s passing as much as I do.
Bravely, and as a testament to the man that Dave was, he posted a farewell to us all on the forum, here –
https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=14345.0I have passed this link on to Sally and to Royce, so that they can see how much Dave meant to us all. Please leave your messages of condolence over on that thread, and I will make sure that Sally and Royce receive your condolences.
In the spirit of those that have come before us, I raise a glass to Dave, who has now departed on his final patrol. Blue skies, sir, until we meet again.
As an aside, Dave asked me prior to his passing to take over the ownership and administration of the site after his passing. This is truly a privilege, and I hope that I am also able to live up to the legacy that both Dave and Des before him have left. Believe me when I say that this is not a task that I take lightly; the interests of the forum and its members will always remain central to me.
At time of writing, I am currently overseas away from home, and won’t return until mid-April 2024, after which I will be in a much better position to fully care for the forum. Please bear with me during this complicated transition; I will do my best whilst away, and Lance Carrol (lcarroll) and Zac Yates (Kiwizac) will continue to be key moderators over the next few weeks until I am fully back on deck.
Again, I am sure that you are as deeply saddened as I am by this news. I know that as a forum and a community, that we will rally together during these times. That comradery is what continues to make this place such a wonderful community for us all.
Our thoughts, I am sure, are all with Sally, Royce, and Dave's family during these difficult times.
Per Ardua ad Astra,
Brad Cancian
