Jump to content

So, it's Goodbye from Eugene?


MartinClark

Featured Posts

A couple of days ago I was shocked to hear that Eugene Baston had decided to leave BW. I resisted the urge to say anything just then, as the news was not completely "public" at that time.

 

Now, it seems that the cat is out of the bag, with a detailed report and tribute appearing as "Breaking News" on Narrowboatworld website.

 

As "External Relations Manager", Eugene has walked a bit of a tightrope. At times he has had to defend BW policies to less-than-sympathetic boaters. At other times he has gone out of his way to help sort out problems that boaters have had. He keeps an eye on this forum, as well as the waterways newsgroup and Canals email list. He has posted responses at all times of the day or night!

 

Although he does not have his own boat, he goes boating with other people, experiencing the foibles of the canals at first hand, when there sometimes seem to be people at BW who are not sure what a canal is! But even when he is boating, he does not switch off, and takes time to discuss problems with other boaters.

 

Eugene - you will be a very hard act to follow. I hope you will continue to post here in a personal capacity. I offer my best wishes to you for whatever you decide to do in the future. BW's loss will be someone else's gain!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Martin just beat me to it! I hope that whoever replaces Eugene has the sense of fairness and integrity that he brought to the job. I must say that I wish him well in whatever career choice he has made and I hope he enjoys his new family addition to the fullest extent.

 

Tony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Martin just beat me to it! I hope that whoever replaces Eugene has the sense of fairness and integrity that he brought to the job. I must say that I wish him well in whatever career choice he has made and I hope he enjoys his new family addition to the fullest extent.

 

Tony

 

 

hear hear <_<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple of days ago I was shocked to hear that Eugene Baston had decided to leave BW. I resisted the urge to say anything just then, as the news was not completely "public" at that time.

 

Now, it seems that the cat is out of the bag, with a detailed report and tribute appearing as "Breaking News" on Narrowboatworld website."

 

Good luck to Eugene in whatever he takes up. I think he has done a difficult job very well.

 

Regards to him and his newly expanded family

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Martin just beat me to it! I hope that whoever replaces Eugene has the sense of fairness and integrity that he brought to the job. I must say that I wish him well in whatever career choice he has made and I hope he enjoys his new family addition to the fullest extent.

 

Tony

 

I fully intend applying for the position.

 

Good luck Eugene...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I fully intend applying for the position.

Heh, you'd be great running the press office. If I may quote you back in February on the subject of "Canal Boat or Waterways World?":

Both s***e, avoid.

...which would make the waterways press briefings interesting in an Alastair Campbell-style way. (Though I find it hard to be too grumpy towards someone who quotes the mighty GLC in his signature.)

 

Back on topic, I'm sure BW won't know how much they'll miss Eugene until he's gone. I could cite four or five people from the last few years who BW could, and very definitely should, have kept if they'd made more of an effort; Eugene is certainly one of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eugene - don't know whether to say congratulations or commiserations, but in any event I'd like to add best wishes for your 'retirement' (lol) and good luck for the future.

 

I too hope you'll continue to post here as your post were always worth reading - also I hope you introduce us to your sucessor here before you finally leave

 

BTW - when's the virtual leaving do? <_<

 

Allan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

B/W is a dead duck, its being wound down, unless your canal is in a major city or has a few pubs on it, think about buying a caravan, Mr Evans pension grows as we speak.

Are you speaking as an embittered BW employee in the know, John? Or, like a lot of us, an embittered Boater in the dark?

 

Back on topic though, as BW's chief propogandist, Eugene did an impossible job very well indeed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When i see what i see and hear, and the likes of Eugene leave then something big is going to happen, i fear for the waterways, i really do.

Me too. But sometimes I think I'm just a pessimist until someone more in the know than me agrees with my fears. Then I really start to worry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eugene solved many problems for me over the years, and I felt he was the rock that we could rely on when normal channels had been exhausted.

 

Another good reason not to buy another canal boat is Eugene's departure. I can think of a few occasions where I would have had great difficulty had Eugene not been there to help.

 

I think that really is the end of canals for me.

 

The beaurocratic dinasoar of a beast that BW has become is not good for the relaxing situation that the canal used to provide when I first got a canal boat, to be replaced by the stress normally associated with road driving.

 

I now find it much more relaxing to boat elsewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi everyone

 

Thanks very much for your generous messages, they're really appreciated at this end and remind me of how sad I feel that I won't be able to help you out in an 'official' capacity in the future. That's not to say I won't be around, since the waterways for me and the family have always been more than a job, and I intend to stay in touch both here and elsewhere.

 

I don't know who might be a replacement for me yet, but when I do I'll let you all know. It won't be up to me as to whether they are active here and elsewhere on the internet of course, but I'm aware that there are already at least two other BW employees B) active on this forum, so I don't think you'll miss me that much :D Whether they are sanctioned to introduce themselves formally and respond in the spirit I've responded to over the years...well, we'll just have to wait and see.

 

My decision was made because I don't feel there's much more I can do at BW at the present time, and certainly isn't because I want to spend more time with my (new) family. Clearly that's important, but without anything bigger and better to go to, job-wise, there are other things even more important right now, like getting an income!

 

I intend to be self employed and use my skills to help others in the ways I've hopefully done over the last few years. So, if you know of something or someone who could do with some professional help (of my kind, not the Dr's!), do please bear me in mind. You can always PM, and I'll change my settings when the time comes to cast the ropes off from BW's moorings <_<

 

In the meantime, my thanks again to you all. As I've written elsewhere, I've certainly relished the fantastic challenges that have been thrown my way over these years, and that includes challenges 'incoming' from some of you too. I think I've probably done most of them to the very best of my ability, and if you're reading this and thinking about a time when we've crossed swords, I hope it will be with a view that the battlefield was fair and that sometimes different perspectives have to exist.

 

Best wishes, Eugene

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:D

 

Right the pecking order stood at

 

1. Owners of Shiny new narrowboats. (based in marinas)

2. Owners of Shiny new narrowboats. (moored on linear moorings)

3. Owners of Shiny new narrowboats. (Continuous cruisers)

4. Owners of older narrowboats. (based in marinas)

5. Owners of older narrowboats. (moored on linear moorings)

6. Owners of older narrowboats. (Continuous cruisers)

7. Floating gypsies.

8. Owners of GRP (based in marinas)

9. Owners of GRP (moored on linear moorings)

10. Owners of GRP (Continuous cruisers)

11. Hirers

12. Eugene Baston

13. Owners of Imitation working boats. (based in marinas)

14. Owners of Imitation working boats. (moored on linear moorings)

15. Owners of Imitation working boats. (Continuous cruisers)

16. Ownerships and similar

17. Canaltime

18. Challenger

19. Challenger Stealth Hire

20. Day boats

21. Canoes

22. BW Launches

23. Birmingham Mattresses

24. Blow up dinghy from Argos, during a heatwave in the school holidays.

25. River Lee sofabeds/mattresses etc.......

 

So we have to move Eugene From no 12 which gives us

 

....Snip...

11. Hirers

12. <<TBC>>

13. Owners of Imitation working boats. (based in marinas)

....Snip...

 

but according to NIMBYworld, Eugene ponces a ride from his mates, and we don't have a section for that. so i propose a new category be created. and as it's not owning or hiring it should rank well below anything that involves spending dough so.

 

...snip...

22. BW Launches

23. Those who blag trips from their mates

24. Birmingham Mattresses

...snip...

 

Sigh <_<

 

Oh well, Eugene looks like by quitting BW you've actually slipped 11 places, and you have to look up to BW launches, but look on the bright side, you can look down on mattresses, and blow up dingys.

 

Have you considered growing a beard? B)

 

Disclaimer

 

The official CWF pecking order is not indicative of anything other than cutside social standing, value of beards can go down as well as up

Edited by fuzzyduck
Link to comment
Share on other sites

:D

 

 

Oh well, Eugene looks like by quitting BW you've actually slipped 11 places, and you have to look up to BW launches, but look on the bright side, you can look down on mattresses, and blow up dingys.

 

Have you considered growing a beard? <_<

 

Disclaimer

 

The official CWF pecking order is not indicative of anything other than cutside social standing, value of beards can go down as well as up

 

Ouch.... Your cruel.. B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well Eugene's always welcome on our boat!!

 

- Where does "slightly odd shaped steam narrowboat that doesnt really have a home as such but tends to find a marina for a few months over winter" fit?

 

Shes not shiny as such, and i guess 15years is proberbly below average now, but shes privatly owned, not grp or stealth, and sometimes in a marina. HANG ON, where are we going with this?

 

 

 

Daniel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.