Posted by Jock on July 10, 2025 at 08:56:55 user Jock.
In Reply to: Re: Dave Thewlis RIP posted by Alan Hakim on July 06, 2025 at 08:56:08:
Dave Thewlis was, by nature and by instinct, a diplomat. When Tim Johns’s Arthur Ransome Literary Pages went offline, Dave quietly began discussions with key individuals to explore how the archive might be revived—ideally with the endorsement of all the original stakeholders. Both he and Woll Newall had prudently made backup copies of the material, and since the pages were written in plain HTML, it should have been a simple matter to rehost them. But Dave’s approach was characteristically principled: he wanted to proceed with care, ensuring the support of the Arthur Ransome Society and, if possible, Tim Johns himself.
He came to TarBoard almost by accident. It had not been part of any wider scheme. When I heard that he was contemplating restoring the Literary Pages, I suggested that he might consider forming a small association to ensure the archive’s longevity beyond the stewardship of any single person. We met at a Heathrow hotel to discuss the idea further.
Not long afterwards, Ian Edmondson-Noble announced that he would no longer be able to host TarBoard. It seemed to me an obvious step that the emerging society, formed to take care of the literary archive, might also offer a home to TarBoard. Dave was sceptical but willing to explore the matter. He agreed that a small group of us might meet during his next visit to Europe to consider it properly.
We duly met at the Red Lion in Ealing—Studio 6 to fans of the old Ealing comedies—where some gentle persuasion was brought to bear. The outcome was the smooth transfer of TarBoard, in collaboration with Woll Newall and Ian Edmondson-Noble, to its new hosting environment.
Dave was a remarkable man—considerate, kindly, and generous in all he undertook. I shall miss him greatly.
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