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Peter Quantrill
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Alan,
I have watched with great distress the events that have unfolded over the past few days.
May I appeal to you to take one step backwards, and, after the heat of the moment has subsided, reconsider your decision. The web site, your creation, is simply too valued to simply close down. Your membership continues to grow, and 99% of the time, valuable information on a wide range of topics is disseminated.
Mike S & I have jousted in the past, but nothing a good glass of red will not redeem. In fact, and dare I mention it, I was quite looking forward to a Court of Inquiry on the lines that have been aired and indeed being the defence Council to Durnford! Give Mike a run for his money.
Another aspect that has recently taken place is that on 16 September the Provincial Tourists Guides Association of KZN, Battlefield's Region invited Ron & I to an Isandlwana discussion on matters controversial. Some 20 members attended including Ken Gillings, Rob Caskie and Nicki von der Heyde. Ian Knight & Professor John Laband added their views via e-mail.
A very healthy debate took place and perhaps some startling conclusions reached by some prominent members who conduct tours and lectures. The object of relating this is to show that the next step forward for the forum is to further encourage open debate on the battlefied itself and perhaps organise groups accordingly.
Alan, on behalf of the vast majority, we ask you to please reconsider.
As ever,
Peter
Bill Cainan1


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 107
Location: Lampeter
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Alan

I can but echo Peter's sentiments.

I can appreciate how recent events have soured the site in your eyes, but please balance that against the immense positive aspects that the site has brought to us all . There have been some truly great threads from which I have learnt an awful lot, as I am sure have many others.

Please do not let a small percentage of the participants drive you away. The remaining 98% of us need you, for all the reasons listed by Peter above. I would sincerely ask that you reconsider your decision, or at least give yourself a bit more time to think it through.

In hope

Bill

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Mel


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 345
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I cannot let this go without a comment. This may well be my last post and I hope it is not deleted as it is my honest opinion.

This forum has been of immense value to me as I try to achieve a better understanding of the events of the AZW. It will be a sad loss for all the reasons stated above.

Coll,
Of course, Mike sometimes comes in with both guns blazing but, and I don't say this lightly, you are wrong in your assertions about Mike Snook. You were wrong in your accusations to him.
With his knowledge, why on earth would he want a thread to be locked? Please reflect.

Galloglas, or should I say Edward Bear?
You have stirred it once too often.

Alan
I can only ask you to look on the positives about this forum and reconsider your decision.

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Mel
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Paul Bryant-Quinn


Joined: 14 Oct 2007
Posts: 551
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Alan

I am sure that forum members will understand and respect your choice. But it is also true that what you and Peter have achieved here has been significant for the Zulu people themselves, and for the growth in our mutual understanding of the history of those times. Your work in creating this forum has, over the years, enabled an archive of historical discussion, analysis and generously-shared knowledge which honours the Zulu and the memory of all who fought in the war of 1879. What you have achieved is a first-rate resource for historian and enthusiast alike, from wherever they come. Its loss would be irreplaceable.

For a number of personal reasons I am moving on. But the gratitude remains.

Sincerely,

Paul
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Neil Aspinshaw


Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 290
Location: Loughborough
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Alan
What everyone else has said, I can only repeat. I have met some fantastic friends through this site, Mel, Steve, Bill, Dave Fox, Peter, Mike, to name but a few.

It would be a travesty to let it go for unsolved differences, If the wounded parties have agreed to step back and perhaps realised the folly then surely we can let that be a lesson in how not to conduct oneself.

If the decision is final, can I say, before the curtain closes, I have enjoyed this forum immensely, I hope I have contributed well and would like to thank everyone for their friendship, but most of all to you and Peter, this is and has been one of the best forum's on the AZW bar none, It is the most widely talked about, and most informative specialist site on the web.

I hope you will come over and say hello at the various bashes we have, and finally, how can I now sell my Martini's? Smile

Regards
Neil

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Peter
Site Admin

Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 80
Location: Hertford, UK
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Hello all,

Well, what a mess this all is. Since Alan moved to Wales, he's been running the site all by himself, and if the truth be known, for much much longer before. His passion has kept this thing going for the 9 years we've been running.

There are many of you who recognise this, but there do seem to be some of you who seem to insist on taking things too far, not taking a deep breath, and souring the site for all. I'm not personally interested in the who's, the why's and the wherefore's. It really is pretty childish, and petty, don't you think? Does it REALLY matter that much??

I think the site is a resource, a trading post and a stop off to chat. It's not for fighting. It never was, and if you need to be told this, you're not welcome.

I'm going to talk some more to Alan, and we'll make a decision one way or the other about the forum. It needs support, it needs people to take responsibility and I'm looking actively for people to step forward and to be counted.

It's sadly not the first time that we've tried our best to steer the site out of troubled waters that people seem insistent on steering us into, and I can fully appreciate why Alan feels enough is enough. There have been warnings about precisely this happening in the past..

I'm also truly not in the least bit interested in any concept of "competition" or other sites. It really is not, and never has been, about that. To be honest, we have better things to do, and good luck to anyone who chooses to setup a site, and it can only add to the community. It's a shame that people are trying to create animosity - Neither Alan nor I feel any, and wont anytime soon. We're happy with RDVC, and happy that others find it useful.

It's heartening to see so many positive posts, and it is absolutely true that 99% of people are giving something back. I'm sorry for the rest that 1% are the loudest right now.

We'll be posting again soon, but please let's talk about where the site should be going, and how we move forward.

Peter
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dodgermuk


Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 38
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Peter,

The problem is how do you control those who have an absolute passion about something, tell them to leave for the good of the site, tell them to downgrade that passion so it doesn't affect others, the fact is you cannot. Well you can of course, by telling them to leave but that just does a dis-service to the forum by the loss of contributors and do you really want to do that? i honestly don't think you do.

Heated disagreements are always going to occur because there is always two sides, a for and an against. If members are unable to rise above the petty squabbling that takes place on occasions then in my opinion they have no place in here. I would hope that we are all grown adults here and therefore should act our ages.

What this forum does need to do and act on extremely quickly are personal attacks in posts. Depending on the content of the post, the offending material can be editied out or the whole post removed. It does the forum no good to have such posts sitting for others to read and comment upon. This would and sometimes does add fuel to the flames. This is by no means a critiscism of the admins but i do see it as a way forward for the forum.

Rog
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rich


Joined: 01 May 2008
Posts: 897
Location: Long Island NY USA
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I was away for a week, came in and saw this. I'm sorry things may have to go in another direction because of difference of opinion. Alan, please reconsider as well as others who have stated they are to leave. This site has given me much as far as illustrating a history which does not get tremendous play anywhere else. It would be a blow to AZW history. And and I would lose this far distance Internet friendship I have had with many here. You've taught me much. I would hate to lose this connection to history and to you all. Thank you.

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The Scorer


Joined: 27 Nov 2006
Posts: 338
Location: Newport
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I am a comparative "new boy" to both the forum and the subject, and I can't claim any great knowledge of the AZW.

However, due to a long standing love of "Zulu", I have come to learn quite a bit about the subject, and the majority of it is down to this forum. I'm lucky enough to know personally one regular contributor (Col. Mike) and have met one other (Martin) once, but I feel that I do know "in spirit" quite a lot of you, and I've enjoyed reading about the subjects that have been raised and debated.

So, I would ask that the forum continue, please, as it does provide a lot of enjoyment for everyone, even if we don't always agree!

Smile
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Peter Ewart


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1797
Location: Near Canterbury, Kent, England.
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I've been offline for several weeks and was sad to read about the events referred to above on my return. Hopefully it's all "water under the bridge" now so there's not much for me to add, as I agree completely with the sentiments in the above posts in support of Alan, Peter and this forum.

It is certainly a salutary reminder to all of us, however, that we can make Alan's & Peter's job - and probably their lives! - either much easier or much harder, according to how we monitor or "police" ourselves, especially when an interesting - or even robust - debate develops. The rules are already there when we sign up to them and are, in my opinion, quite rightly not up for discussion. As in all debates, the safest advice is, I suppose, likely to be (a) never stoop to personal criticism; (b) count to ten before posting; (c) avoid cheap "point scoring" or insisting on the last word.

In fact, given how many members there are and how keen some of us can be on some aspects of the subject, I'd say the level of unsavoury exchanges is mercifully low - rare, even - and is considerably outnumbered by the many worthwhile ones.

Now, I have some catching up to do on some interesting threads!

Peter
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mons14


Joined: 23 Jan 2006
Posts: 64
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I've decided to stay out of this thing, as I'm just a little guy around here, and not regarded as a player - and I don't do forum politics.

However the thing that is most upsetting to me now that the dust has settled is that Mike Snook is gone. What a terrble shame as he is a giant in this area of study.

I just finished reading his book on Isandlwana and I was absolutely blown away - what a fantastic read.

I only wish he was around to still field questions and offer comment -shame on thoes who drove him off.

It's a massive loss for all of us.

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'Ah! Those red soldiers at Isandlwana, how few they were, and how they fought! They fell like stones-each man in his place.' - A Zulu Warrior
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Dewi Evans


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 177
Location: Chwilog, North Wales
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mons14,

I am in total agreement with you, terrible shame indeed.

Dewi.
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Coll
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David and Dewi

Mike isn't gone, as he is a member of the Victorian Wars Forum.

I'm sure you can still e-mail him, and ask for his return, with my promise that I'll no longer post here, as you see in this topic, it was me who left first.

No point in both of us 'leaving town' so to speak.

I hope you manage to convince him to reappear.

Coll
Alan
Site Admin

Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 1530
Location: Wales
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We want you back Coll!

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Robert John


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 205
Location: The Netherlands
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How lovely to hear from you again Alan.
It brings back ones faith in humanity !

Robert

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