[Ian Pullen]

The President & Committee
KVE Inc

I am writing this in regards to the Corowa Swim-In to be held in March 2008 and request this letter to be included in the correspondence in and read at the next committee meeting.

I am writing this voicing my own opinions and experiences and by no means the views and decisions of the Museum I work at.

I have been in touch with various committee members over the past 6 months to assist with the considerations and requirements for the theme vehicles for next year.

I have also been in touch with many owners of tracked vehicles in an effort to gain additional thoughts as to what will be needed to safely conduct the meet.

The theme when announced caused an air of excitement throughout many collectors and enthusiasts around the country. Although this theme is essentially another "Year of the Carrier", it has with it an addition for the gathering of privately owned Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs). These vehicles are not able to be brought out often by owners, hence the excitement of getting as many together as possible in one place at the one time.

These vehicles due to their size, weight and particular driving characteristics, means that there will be some decisions that are to be made, which will not please everyone, to enable this theme to go on without disruption, damage or even serious accident.

Tanks are dangerous if things go unchecked. After discussions with many owners, they agree, are willing and more than happy to follow strict guidelines to enable their vehicles to be driven safely. As many owners are ex-military or have been involved with official parades etc, they understand the requirements, control levels and safety considerations needed.

I spoke to the President of KVE mid-July this year about many ideas in which the proposal by Mr Adam was brought up. By this stage I was already aware of the proposal anyway.

My initial thoughts were that the Van Park as a base for AFVs was plausible. I had already spoken to the Van Park owners about the location of the AFVs and their use at the park. This would allow the AFVs to use the track next to the river for daily use during a set time period.

Additional thoughts led to the requirements of:
a. getting the AFVs to the start position;
b. the actual street parade; and
c. the return trip.

These steps require additional planning and resources which have never been needed by KVE in the past.

I have recently been to Corowa solely to conduct a recon of the town to gain an appreciation of what would be in my opinion the best plan of action.

As an independent in this matter, I looked at the two scenarios. Both scenarios have been addressed in detail in attached documents accompanying this letter to KVE Inc for inclusion at the next meeting.

The factors considered were:
a. safety of pedestrians and spectators;
b. safe driving of vehicles;
c. the best ability of giving owners the chance to drive their vehicles;
d. ability of spectators to see the vehicles; and
e. security of vehicles.

I am a firm believer that for ALL the above reasons, the use of the facilities at the Airfield for AFVs is the only safe option. This opinion may not win many friends or supporters, but it is the only safe option.

Due to the cramped conditions at the Van Park, safe manoeuvering of AFVs is impossible. There is the heightened chance of accidents, or serious injury.

When you get many of these vehicles moving together, people will crowd to see.

As owners will face the cost of literally thousands of dollars each in transport and running costs, they should have every right as any other vehicle owner, to drive them. This will not happen at the Van Park. If it were to stay there, AFV entries will be down.

You cannot feasibly ask AFV owners to secure their vehicles at the Airfield and then billet themselves at the Van Park. I ask, would the committee do that with their own vehicles?

Other points on AFV movements I have enclosed with the attached correspondence.

The Van Park has always been, and always will be the heart of the GPA Swim-In at Corowa. Of that there is no doubt. But I also believe that as a group of enthusiasts, to say the ONLY the Van Park is the meeting, we really need to look at how big it has become.

No longer are ALL the activities there, not everyone can fit into the Van Park. For years now, people have stayed in the other van park, hotels, motels and B&Bs. The Van Park needs to be recognised as the base co-ordination centre. Everyone goes there at various times.

We need to accept that our hobby is growing at an amazing rate. As much as I hate to say it, at this rate we may even outgrow Corowa as a town sometime in the distant future.

The president alluded in MLU on 27 Mar that even the swap meet could be relocated to the Airfield.

The original rally organised by Mr Adam was almost a decade ago.

If there is a legitimate problem with his proposal, I request the committee to tell me and AFV owners who are planning to bring their vehicles, why they should not be given this as a viable option. This could be used as an annex to complete the weekend.

If the swap meet were to be moved to the Airfield, after the photo shoot everyone will already be in location. This would facilitate those who need to rush off immediately to attend it. An organised AFV rally could then take place in the fields adjacent to the photo area for the benefit of maximum numbers.

All this could be arranged with minimal effort by the committee who could oversee arrangements to suit members. Mr Adam has already said he will handle the arrangements.

If the GPA Swim-In is to continue to grow and become a truly international event, then foresight needs to be adopted to gain numbers, interest and future enthusiasts. The Van Park will always be the heart of the meeting, but it may be time to consider future growth.

As I have said to the committee in previous correspondence, I am more than willing to assist the committee in any way. This includes my offer to assist the president conduct a recon as discussed in July this year in addition to helping out with the actual event and helping with the control of AFVs whilst in location on behalf of KVE.

This has the potential to be the most exciting "Corowa" yet with the theme vehicle being tracked vehicles. We need to ensure it is remembered for the right reasons.

As discussed with the committee over the phone and in written correspondence, I will not base any of our entries at the Van Park due to safety considerations. Although the committee has allocated an area in the Van Park for some theme vehicles I still feel that there is no room to move a tracked vehicle with limited visibility that weighs MANY tons in, around or near other collector's vehicles. Let alone the pedestrian worry.

When I first wrote the "Considerations for AFVs in the Van Park" that was forwarded with the initial entry forms, I believed that this was possible. I now believe differently.