User:Markjedi1

Mark Dermul (7 January 1970) is a Star Wars enthousiast since 1977, when he saw A New Hope on the big screen for the very first time – while in fact he was whining to go and see Bambi again, but his father and older brother protested and took him to this movie that would change his life forever.

He lives in Ghent with his soulmate Sofie and three children Sarah, Amber and Kobe. His cat Maul comes and goes as he pleases.

He scouted Tunisia’s Star Wars locations for the first time in 2001 and organised the Trip to Tatooine 2003, where he took no less than 12 Pioneers on a guided tour. He took another batch of 18 Pioneers on a final Trip in 2005. Check out his website www.markdermul.be/tatooine for that particular expedition or read the book ‘Trip to Tatooine'.

In 2005 Mark set out to lead an expedition to Finse (Norway) to locate the filming sites on the glacier, used by Lucasfilm to recreate the ice planet of Hoth. More info at www.markdermul.be/hoth.

He was pr-manager for five years and president for two years of Teekay-421 npo, the Belgian Star Wars Fan Club. He is now the director of Star Force Events (www.starforce.be), a non-profit organization that puts together events. In his spare time he works as branch manager for on of Belgium’s larger banks.

He is also an avid autograph collector and has published his collection online at www.markdermul.be. He has been a speaker at several Star Wars related events, including the much acclaimed Star Wars Celebration Europe in London in July 2007, where he led a panel on autograph collecting and showed many of his props obtained in Tunisia and Finse.

But to sum up what kind of guy he truly is, read this extraordinary comment by Terry Cooper from the UK, one of the Pioneers on the 2003 Trip to Tatooine:

''Mark, being the trip organiser, was the glue that kept the whole group and our legendary journey together. Jokingly dubbed the ‘Commandant’, he made sure that we all knew where we were going, what was happening next, and what time breakfast was. But not once did anyone feel like they were being dictated to; I felt we were all grateful for the fairness and solid organisational skills that he put into play to keep the trip from becoming a reckless mess.

During my personal nightmare of leaving all of my important documents in Djerba, Mark was incredibly cool and organised about it all. A lesser man would have gone crazy and left me to rot, but Mark thought nothing of trekking around various offices and police stations, speaking to the tour company, and pleading my case in French, to help me resolve the situation. I’m still unsure as to whether he used a Jedi mind trick on me, but his calming influence made me able to relax and enjoy the few days touring when I would normally be sick with worry.

Added to this is his genuine enthusiasm and respect for the Star Wars Universe. Always quick to ensure that our excitement levels were topped up, he would say something like, “Guys – just think –WE are standing in the exact spot where Sir Alec Guiness stood in 1976.” or something like that, and instantly, the experience was enhanced tenfold. We all needed to be reminded of the enormity of our travels and sightseeing, and Mark’s wisdom and energy prevailed, not just for the eight days of the trip, but for two years before and for a long time to come.

Truly a wise Jedi Knight... and a good friend.''

There isn’t an awful lot we can add to that, now is there?