Trackabout In Administration (not receivership)- Rumour????

[meimarocu]

All the best to you and your family's future John.

From a proud and satisfied Trackabout owner..

Regards

Ian & Melissa Lawson.

[dazzler]

JT,

They seem to be attacking small business like a rottweiler. A small business in trouble has the least resources to fight. Big business can it appears get away with murder and a deal.

Perhaps thats the perception but not the reality.  BIL worked for tax a little while ago and presented a huge business down here with a tax bill for 1.2million payable in 30days with interest at about 10trillion percent a day for non payment.  The business owner was not nice so some just desserts 


Best of luck JT

[johnhgh]

We bought our Trackabout from John back in 2002, a top camper from a top bloke. I find this news hard to believe, and wish JT all the best for the future.
Hopefully this may make us all think more about supporting Aussie businesses and not just buying the cheapest product. Quality will always be evident in the end.

Good luck for the future JT

John & Penny

[jetcrew]

JT,

In a fight We often foucus on the result and in this case it is a very hard and sad one, BUT the real story lies in the fight.

You stood firm and held your ground against a constant and unrelenting adversory ,the GFC ,the Chinese invasion the dog headed ATO.

Your love of the industry and your country showed through ,you refused to become what you did not belive in .

You now stand brusied and bloody my friend ,

HOWEVER what you kept is more important than what you lost .

You kept yourself !

Your a man of conviction and a man of true strength ,when the chips were down you stood tall and never gave in. You fought to the very end and for that you have earned my respect and by the posts I've just read the respect of an entire community.

Now wear those black eyes with pride mate ,because there is no shame in the battle you just fought on behalf of all Australians.

Kindest regards and respect

Jetcrew

 

[LJs GU]

Here here Jetcrew...
LJ

[Matto]

Here here Jetcrew...

+1 to that.

Nice work Jetcrew. "You refused to become what you did not believe in". I like that.

Matto

[Nightflight]

Very well said Jetcrew.

We are also very sad to hear this news, having been proud Trackabout owners for a year. After looking at campers for a long time, we decided on a Trackabout after 5 minutes in JT's showroom for the reasons that many others here have pointed out.

JT, thanks to you and your team for creating a camper above and beyond our expectations. We knew it would be good, but were still surprised at how good it was! You should be proud of what you have given all of us, and also your relentless efforts to "stay Australian", with a quality second to none. 

We have been proud to tell anyone about our Trackabout, and will continue to tow it around with pride.

All the best to you and your family, and your staff for the future.

[Robbo]

Great post Jetcrew and so true.
John and Raewyn you can stand proud of your achievements and contributions to the camper trailer industry and i'm sure you will have a well enjoyed rest ahead of you and that doors will open for you. All the very best for the future.

Regards

Robbo

[Beaker]

Hi JT, whilst I don't have one of your trailers I did speak to you early on before I decided to build my own (using as much Aussie stuff as possible). You impressed me with your attitude and willingness to help out with ideas. I've also been really impressed with the way you obviously take pride in yoru work and go that extra distance for your customers both new and old.

Wish you all the best.

[Camping Grant]

Great post Jetcrew!!!!

[pattyann]

Nice words from Raewyn - behind every GOOD man is a GOOD wife!!  Good luck with whatever the future brings

[jkwpajero]

I was shocked when I heard the news about Trackabout and very sad when I read JT's post. And, I'll admit that I have just teared up after reading Raewyn's post  The ATO is headhunting on the Federal Governments behest and getting a budget surplus is more important than supporting Australian manufacturing. I own a Trackabout camper and have taken it to some great places without one thing going wrong with it. As we are only two oldies now I  had thought of purchasing a smaller camper, but still a full Australian made one. But bugger that now. I will be keeping my Trackabout and will happily promote a great Aussie brand and I hope that someone will pick up the company and keep it going. I have met John a few times at shows over the years and can't say a bad word about him. It is a very sad day for us as Australians when a government department forces small business to close down, rather than come to an arrangement to keep them going. Very nice words Jetcrew too.

[noel_w]

I think I will buy a lotto ticket this weekend in aid of keeping Trackabout afloat after all I have a vested interest as I own one.
Maybe we could have a mass lotto effort from Myswag members!!!!

[Nick74]

I think I will buy a lotto ticket this weekend in aid of keeping Trackabout afloat after all I have a vested interest as I own one.
Maybe we could have a mass lotto effort from Myswag members!!!!

Great idea Noel

It saddens me to here the news JT and Raewyn. Another great Australian company at risk of disappearing

I couldn't afford one of your campers - but oh how I wanted one.

I hope that you get through this terrible time with minimal emotional and physical damage. And that you can find a space in life where you can gain the enjoyment you guys so obviously deserve.

Cheers
Nick

[landyowner]

I flew up to Brisbane in Nov to meet John and his team at Trackabout. He picked me up at the airport and drove me to Slacks Creek where he showed me around his premises and all his Trailers. I had already pretty much decided on Trackabout after reading magazines and this forum for the last two years, but that day just comfirmed it for me. I  found John to be very easy to chat to, very easy going and generally  just a good all round guy, I liked him and easily imagined him to be the sort of guy who I could easily sit around a camp fire having a good laugh and drinking too many beers! At the end of the day I flew home to Victoria, confident in my heart I had made the right decision.

On Jan 18th I set off for Brisbane to pick up my new Trackabout Extenda from John, On arriving at Trackabout on the lunchtime of the Friday the 20th Francis told me he was not there unfortunately, and had not been too well that week, I got the Impression things were not good. None the less Francis and the other guys (sorry I have forgot there names) done a great job in running through everything on the trailer, these were a great bunch of guys who had worked and built my Trailer. Francis also was brilliant to deal with, so even though JT was not there, they were all doing there bit in keeping the Trackabout flag flying so to speak. I was disappointed that JT was not there as I had been looking forward to having a couple of beers with him to celebrate the handover of my trailer, In the end I was there for a couple of hours and did have a few beers with the boys who worked there.

I left Brisbane on the Sat lunchtime and ended up getting home on the Mon arvo, Tuesday I had an appointment with VicRoads, getting the CT all registered and plated before heading off to Dargo in the High Country for 6 days over the Australia day weekend. Here my wife and I and our two young children had a great time next ot the Wonnagatta River with our new CT, they all loved it!!

So it was with great shock and sadness that I learnt that Trackabout had gone into Voluntary receivership on the 27th.
I only met John the once, yet I feel 'Jetcrew' you summed up JT perfectly, and everything he stood for and believed in. I am so proud to have bought a Trackabout and of the quality of the build, the passion and care that went into it. I hope that the Trackabout name does continue, I wish all of the staff at Trackabout the best for the future, and of course to the big man himself, I hope he is back on his feet soon.

Regards, Col. (Proud Trackabout Camper Trailer Owner)

PS Apologies if this thread rambled on a bit....

[davo69 and the Nurse]

Johnny and Rae,

I am heartbroken by your terrible news. We wish you all the very best with your new ventures, after a well earned break.

My affiliation with Trackabout started in 2007 with the purchase our Deluxe Tourer. I then joined the sales team and worked both with the great Man himself and Frances for close to 2 years, before venturing off to the other side of Australia, as Trackabout's only WA dealer. JT, thank you for the opportunities for working for such a great company, and producing such a fantastic tough head turning product.

You and Trackabout will be sadly missed from the industry and the Moss St landscape.

the Nurse and Davo69 (aka Tammy and Dave)

[Mumof3]

So sorry to hear this news. We bought our Safari SV last year and are very happy customers. John's great service was what convinced us to buy,  even though we had never seen one set up. I hope things work out ok

[two+four]

Very sad news JT best of luck with the future mate, your health should be the most important thing so you cann get out there and enjoy.

Neil

[McAbouts]

I can't believe it. I'm in shock.
Just come back from a wonderful holiday in the heavenly Trackabout and I'm truly stunned.
During our holiday one of our friends said we will always have good resale value on our Trackabout due to the quality of the product and I thought at the time there's no way I'm giving away this camper and ain't that the truth now. I absolutely love it and it has changed our lives. We have the best time because we are so comfortable, we never have to worry about anything going wrong, we just love it so much. We have had more holidays now than we ever had before when we were tent camping. We researched for 2 years before purchasing our Deluxe and we have never regretted it for one moment.
I have to admit a tear did come to my eye for the plight JT is in and hope for him that his product continues on. I definitely agree with all, that now is the time to get out there and be stress free and enjoy what this beautiful country has to offer. Just like JT's product- all Australian, Australia is the place to travel.
Thinking of you both

Louise & James.

[IH8TRMAC]

Very sad to hear that another great Australian company is going under.

Unfortunately as stated many times before people are just looking for a bargain and if it means buying a cheap Chinese made camper
which won't last more then 5yrs so be it. Even Aussie made trailer or so claimed to be with a Chinese/Indian canvas is what a lot of companies
are started to do which is smart business for them but sad for the consumers who are getting a sub standard product.

I looked at a lot of those sort of companies CT's and ended up buying a completely West Aussie made trailer and Australian canvas, yes it cost me
about $3500 more then what i wanted to spend but I know it will still be going strong in 12yrs time.   

Buy AUSTRALIAN MADE and keep the profits in this great country.   

[ralphedward]

So sad to hear of this JT & Rae,

As a small business owner I hear what you say (be carefull in small business with this government).  I also hear you loud and clearly about buying Australian where you can.  Although I bought mine from a business opponent of yours I needed to know that it was truley manufactured here.  Not having Trackabout around to challenge my choice saddens me immensly.

Look after yourselves, good health for the future!

Mark

[ET4Runner]

Just read this news, and like everyone else am saddened by the situation.

Very sad that in the global economy we now live in, that great local businesses suffer. 

To John and Raewyn, all the best, I know you guys will get through and come out the other side.  I hope you still have the pic of the camper and my 4Runner up to the axles in mud; makes me smile every time I see it, and hope it reminds you of the pleasure and joy you've given to hundreds of Aussies with your product.

Trackabout have produced a high quality product for many years, and my 2004 Safari, still going strong, is living proof of your legacy. 

Spread the word people, and support Australian businesses, because they are part of our family.



Regards

Tony Ellery
Another proud Trackabout owner.

[GaryV]

Best wishes for the future mate . Even though I didn't buy your product I couldn't help but be impressed with your passion that day you took time out to show me through you workshop. Just loved the old comp truck you had in the shed too. I hope your return to good health is quick.
Cheers
Gary

[noel_w]

Reality hit real hard when I saw an ad in the Courier Mail on Saturday for the sale of the Trackabout business. Had to sit down for a few moments to reflect on this and hope it all goes well for JT, Raewyn and crew.

[Barrabart]

Reality hit real hard when I saw an ad in the Courier Mail on Saturday for the sale of the Trackabout business. Had to sit down for a few moments to reflect on this and hope it all goes well for JT, Raewyn and crew.

Let's just hope whoever buys it keep JT's dream alive!!!!............... Big shoes to fill, but surely there is someone else out there with the funds and more importantly the passion to keep the Trackabout name at the top of the Aussie CT list.