They say time is fleeting and no doubt it’s a notion readers can relate to – who hasn’t looked at their watch or the clock in their RV and wondered what happened to the day?
Fleeting, yes, but the more of it that passes – regardless of how quickly – the more memories we collect. And the more vivid the memory, the closer it seems in time.
Why do I write this? Well, I was thinking recently about one of my own vivid memories of playing as a child beneath the spray of a garden sprinkler on a hot day, when I realised it was a kind of memory my own children may never have. In the span of some three decades, things have changed. Climate change, drought... water is the currency of the future, someone once told me.
But as things change around us, as they inevitably always will, that just means there’s always something new to explore, silver linings and all that. An evolving environment means, at least for travellers who return to that one destination each year, there are subtle layers of change, which may, in fact, be the reason they return year in, year out.
As this issue of CW went to print, the Vic Caravan Show had just come to its conclusion. While we’ll have the pics of that show in the July issue, it’s worth mentioning the variety and genuine innovation being displayed.
I’d like to make special mention here of the Accessavan, a new and I’m sure very welcome concept in caravanning spearheaded by Anthony Wake and developed in conjunction with Roadstar.
We’ll have a review of the Accessavan in a future issue, but essentially it’s a van designed to accommodate people in wheelchairs, with a special entry ramp to facilitate access.
Indeed, it is an innovation, but it’s also a reminder that the caravan lifestyle truly is open to all people, regardless of their station in life.
While the Vic Caravan Show this year was one day shorter than it was in 2007 (six days rather than seven), attendance was up and exhibitors were reporting strong interest in their products.
Don’t forget to keep your letters to CW’s Postbag coming in (write to caravanworld@traderclassifieds.com.au. As the letters pages have proven in the past, they’re a terrific way of engaging the knowledge of other readers.
For example, in the June issue one writer asks the question (as others have in the past): “Do you know this van?”
And if you disagree with an opinion (the issue of dogs in tourist parks and women driving the tow vehicle have been the hottest and longest-running topics in my time with this magazine), then we invite your comments.
On the other hand, it might be your letter that sparks the next long-running debate.