Jeffrey AronsonDear Rovers North,
The Land Rover community lost a great leader this year. My friend Dave Sweetapple had a great passion for Land Rovers and a gift for bringing other Rover people together. He was a great friend to me and many others and introduced many to our group. His enthusiasm towards Land Rovers will be greatly missed by all of us.
Glenn Parent
GP Roverworks
Woodstock, VT
Dear Rovers North,
How very sad to hear of Dave’s passing. I just sent him some of our club t-shirts and was so looking forward to meeting him in person. He was very friendly and excited about our cross-country connection (Pacific Coast Rover Club) and I was going to see about doing a matching design of shirt… I can see the Land Rover family has lost a very good friend.
Bruce Franklin
Pacific Coast Rover Club
Portland, OR
Dear Rovers North,
Dave Sweetapple, who passed away so suddenly, had a gift. He could connect with people like nobody I have ever known. It didn’t matter who you were — somehow within minutes of meeting him there was a connection. I can’t count the number of times I saw this happen.
He was genuine, honest, inclusive, smart, serious, caring, funny. He would always make people laugh and smile. It just felt great to be around him. He was a great friend. I can only imagine how many people would say he was their “best friend.” He gave his time generously without ever looking for recognition. He created Vermont Rovers and did all the behind-the-scenes work. He was the glue that kept a huge northeastern Land Rover community together. He always wanted to get a group of Rovers together and go for a ride. He loved Rovers and the people that came with them.
On the personal side, I miss my great friend every day. The phone calls and texts, hanging out, working on Land Rovers with him, his infectious smile, his great smirk, his little digs that would make you smile, shake your head and laugh.
Bryan Wittler
Dummerston, VT
[These emails reflect the sentiments of many enthusiasts who have reached out to Rovers North with condolences. We share their loss.]
Dear Rovers North,
My best buddy, Woody, passed on recently. He was a huge fan of Land Rovers. In fact, I believe that he expected that I maintained them for him. If I couldn’t find Woody, I would check one of the Rovers and usually that is where I would find him. I don’t know if you have had a pet/animal and Land Rover section but I do believe that pets and Land Rovers develop a natural loving relationship. I’m sure there are many that would agree and have great stories to share.
Dave Whaling
Greenville, PA
[Animals are always welcome at Rovers North as much as they are in Land Rovers.]
Dear Rovers North,
We’re completing our preparations for our Range Rover Classic that we’re entering in the 2025 DAKAR Classic, and we want to take this opportunity to thank Rovers North and Rovers Magazine for your support. The event may also see the 2005 Bowler Land Rover entrant from
25 years ago!
Herve Solandt
Toulouse, France
Rancho Verdes, CA
[We congratulate you for entering again this year and for your efforts to form a US-based team for a future DAKAR Classic – (For more information, see the Summer 2024 issue.)]
Hi Rovers North,
The before and after photos show what I accomplished with my son and grandsons over a period of 12 years. We started with the Land Rover my son bought about 15 years ago for $20. The parts supplied by your company over time did make this project possible.
I took my grandsons to your place to pick up a galvanized frame and to familiarize them with Rovers North. This restoration was a great learning experience for them.
Robert Jaarsma
Cornish, NH
[Reyer Jaarsma invested his $20 wisely. Thanks for sharing your investment in your family and your 109”.]
Dear Rovers North,
Our own Kellen Field of the Pacific Coast Rover Club had his Series IIA appear on the home page of Pendleton’s on their website. And — fun fact — Kellen is the ghostly character walking behind Ike Goss’ Series I on the back cover of Rovers Magazine’s Summer 2024 issue!
Matt Coats
Damascus, OR
[Kellen’s fame continues to grow; first Rovers Magazine, now Pendleton! We enjoyed meeting all the PCRC members at the PCRC Rally last May.]
Dear Rovers North,
I’m attaching photos of a 1981 Series III 109” 2.6L IOE 6-cylinder, a former Australian military vehicle, that took me 8 years to convert to a beach runner. I want to give a huge shout-out to Zack Griswold and Erik Brennen at Rovers North for assisting me with finding parts for this rebuild. I was able to get 90% of what I needed from Rovers North and that made the build much quicker since I didn’t have to wait for parts to arrive from the UK.
I personally performed the entire frame-off rebuild and decided to change it to the civilian version. Every nut, bolt and washer was removed, checked for quality and reused where possible. I love how this restoration turned out – it’s the perfect beach runner!
Matt Hamilton
Nashville, TN
[Zack and Erik share our awe of your accomplishment. The end result looks terrific.]