Following the tragic and unexpected death of Forum founder and Administrator Des Delatorre in February of this year, the ownership of Des’ website and the Forum passed to his wife Adrienne.
Adrienne asked me to step in and run the forum during the months following Des’ passing. This arrangement has ensured the Forum has run with minimal disruptions and at the same time continue the legacy that Des created for WW1 modellers with his website and Forum.
Membership has continued to grow and we have now reached 3150 members.
Adrienne has her own health issues to focus on now and she has decided it’s time to pass the website and Forum on to me as the new owner. I’m very grateful to her for her trust and confidence in me to continue Des’ legacy and encourage the passion for WW1 modelling among our global membership.
I maintained a close connection with Des from the beginning of the Forum in 2012 and we were in touch with one another on a daily basis. It’s my intention to keep the Forum going exactly as Des would want it, promoting the sense of “WW1 family” helping one another that has defined this group over the years.
I’m originally from New Zealand but now live on the Gold Coast in sunny Queensland Australia. I’ve been a WW1 modeller for some 60 years now and Des’ website and the Forum have played an enormous role in nurturing my love for the hobby.
I’d like the see the Forum play an even bigger role in promoting all WW1 model subjects- air, sea and land. Des had a similar view and added boards on WW1 armour and vehicles as we talked about expanding the forum’s role beyond aircraft to embrace all things WW1. Rest assured though WW1 aircraft will always be the central focus on the Forum.
In the meantime it’s business as usual for the Forum and I urge members to be as active as possible with posts of what you are making and your latest builds, your wish lists and thoughts about the new WW1 kits coming out and those you would like to see.
There are some exciting developments planned for the future. There will be a memorial build competition next year in honour of Des Delatorre (more details later), and new features added to the Forum.
In the meantime my sincere thanks to Forum members for your support which has truly made us a global online WW1 hobby club.
Enormous thanks as well to our Global Moderator Lance Carroll in Canada whose vigilance ensures we all play nicely together!
DONATIONS While we are working through the transition of the Forum and website, the PayPal donations button on the Forum needs a special mention. I have various technical issues to deal with and high on the list is a need to change the PayPal address for forum donations.
At present the Forum donation button is linked to Des’ PayPal account using the email
[email protected]This account is no longer the PayPal account for Forum funding and I would be very grateful if those kind members who keep the Forum viable with your donations could please note the new Forum PayPal donations address is
[email protected]This account has been especially created to fund the Forum and website. Members making automatic donations to the Forum are asked to amend your payment details accordingly. Those wishing to make a donation are asked to use the new PayPal account address for the time being rather than via the current donation button on the Forum home page.
The Forum relies wholly on donations to cover all the costs and I am deeply grateful to everyone whose kindness and generosity ensures the ongoing viability of the website and Forum that we all enjoy.
David Wilson
Owner & Administrator
