Leopard tanks for free ?

[Pedr]

WO2 Pullen,

Your post rings very much of an official stance. Perhaps you are standing too far inside the circle. Are you saying with any authority that private museums and collectors will definatively not be considered for this??

The 113 fiasco fell into a hole due to politics between the US and New Zealand. How do you believe that this could occur in this case, as Australia has a fantastic relationship with Germany ( Morgen alles miene Deutsche freinden ) ....Or at least we did have 'til some twit decided to go with the Abrams... a second hand, oversized, overweight gas-guzzler, over the Leopard 2 - a more realistic option.

Guess you all figure that you'll get to do as will with the stuff in Bandiana and other likeminded army history unit funded museums. However you army museums need to realise that if it wasn't for people like John Belfield and/or the South Australian group and others like them and not forgetting the lowly private collector, you wouldn't have access to half the stuff that has been preserved today.

You of all people should realise this. Alan Cobcroft was instrumental in your museum completing the 2pdr for Corowa 2005 - and he's just a private collector!

It was some army officer upstart whom put his moniker on the paperwork to dispose to scrap metal the WW1 Almiens Gun that was at Port Wakefield P & E range, that shows how much the general soldier cares about army history and its preservation.

Just because army museums are federally funded does not mean that they are the most successful at their chosen task. The government ought to try NOT funding them anymore and see where they'd end up then. Everybody knows that museums don't make money. However the private ones are able to just survive. If those within the system didn't act so high-and-mighty, then everyone would be on an equal footing. Tim Vibert, James Swan, John Belfield, Bandiana, Pucka, Keswick, the South Australian group ( whatever they're called this week ), and all PRIVATE COLLECTORS.

Dissappointed to say the least

Pedr