Formation of caravan clubs

In April 1953 Keith Winser was inviting readers to join the “Motor Manual Goodwill Club” and form
a branch of the club in their own area.
In the same edition of M M he was apologising
for delay in issuing badges due to the enthusiasm
of motorists to join the club.


Initially it was touted as a “motorists club” but as
the local clubs were formed it was their prerogative
to include Caravans on their runs.... I get the impression
that the Melbourne club were quick to do so, there is
mention of caravan rallies at Nagambie and Healsville
in 1956 and this one in 1955.


In the December 1955 there is further evidence that
the Motor Manual “Goodwill Clubs” were embracing
Caravans by announcing the availability of caravan
pennants for their members.


I have a feeling that I have read about a dedicated
M M “Caravan Club” but I can't find the reference
to it, can anybody tell me if …... I'm dreamin'

Finally found some evidence to support my "dream".... this
is out of the 1957 Caravan and touring manual.


Cobber.

hi all I have motor manual good will club badge from the parramatta branch was my dad's
brian

The National Library of Australia archives shed a little bit of light on early Caravan Clubs...


Great Britain: Way back in May 1921, the Melbourne Argus ran a story about the formation of a Motor Caravan Club in Great Britain. At the end of World War I, car travel was extremely limited due to the demands and consequences of the War. It took until 1920/1921 for people to be able to start venturing back out again. "In Great Britain particularly, there has been an interesting development in motor touring, popularly known as 'caravanning', with specially equipped cars, some outfits, in fact, comprising a trailer. The interest taken in motor caravanning has, according to the [journal] Autocar, crystallised into the formation of a Motor Caravan Club, upon lines that will appeal to lovers of outdoor life."


Victoria: In November 1938, there is an article about the R.A.C.V. Caravan Club, but I can't get access to the article at the moment to read the detail.


Queensland: In January 1940, the Canberra Times reported this new clip...

"CONFERENCE.
Miss E. Yule has returned from Queensland, where she attended a Leaders' Study Course and Girls' Conference, at which Y.W.C.A. members from all over Australia were present. Delegates came from as far north as Townsville and as far west as Perth. There were also members from the caravan clubs in the Lockyer district, Queensland."


Canberra: The Canberra Times reports that on Wednesday May 28, 1952, a meeting was held at Matt Stewart's Workshop, 41 Torrens St., Braddon, to form a Caravan Club.
[this club subsequently became known as the A.C.T. Caravan Club, but in 1954 it apparently changed its name to become the Canberra Caravan Club.]


South Australia: somewhere in my collection of books and magazines about caravans I have a booklet written on the history of the South Australian Caravan Club. From memory, the booklet was written in 1975 on the 25th anniversary of the club, which would make it a 1950 start-up. I'll try and dig the booklet out and see if my memory is still any good.


No info available as yet about other States.

cheers,
Al.

onya Cobber

Thanks for the tour of the early caravan & rallies club ...side show
love the" GOOD OLD "days

The English people in the " GOOD OLD "days did not seem to have awnings or annex,s ........lots of lantern roof vans there for you to get excited about

May 55 ........do you think Charle still plays with his "Fully working miniature caravan " or has he got other things to play with now days

f/f ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Hi all,

A week or so ago I bought a copy of a history of the RACV at one of the second had book stalls at our local Saturday market. The book includes a couple of pages about caravanning and the establishment of the RACV Caravan Club in April 1937:






(Source: Susan Priestley, The Crown of the Road: The story of the RACV, Macmillan, 1983, pp 95-98)

The pages I have scanned are very readable, but the thing that will make anyone from Melbourne smile broadly is the fact that early Caravan Club rallies were held at Deepdene and Eltham. Deepdene is only about 9 kms from the heart of the Melbourne CBD, and even in the 50's must have been adjacent to suburbia (Kew is next door).

Reading through the descriptions of the rallies, they sound very like a lot of our V V get togethers, which when you think about it is what we are trying to capture. We must be getting something right then!

Bobt has recently posted some wonderful photos from the early RACV rallies, including the first rally at Barwon Heads mentioned in the article above. These photos are here.

Don Ricardo

From the "Combined Caravan Clubs of Qld" web site

"The first caravan club in Queensland was
formed in 1949 when Frank Chesney, a caravan
manufacturer, started the Queensland Caravan
Club. Frank later formed The Chesney Club, which
went on to become the Carousel Caravan Club".

I was talking to a lady in the caravan park at Warwick
in 2009, she had many recollections including that
of the first rally held by the QCC at Burpengary, she
said that was Christmas 1948.
The club was formed by a group of friends including
the Bowley family, the Wright family, the Tait family,
the Jessup family and ...... the Chesney family.
She was one of the kids in the Bowley family and had
some great memories of the way they use to entertain
themselves on their rallies. Her father made their first
caravan and also made the first QCC pennant out of
metal which had folded edges..... she said.

Cobber.

Hi all,

anyone know when the Herald Touring Club was formed? I believe it was a caravan group connected to the Herald and Weekly Times newspaper organisation.

Also when were the various badges produced. I have a couple of different ones and were there color variations on these as well?

Cheers, Leigh.

That is in fact the badge that I bought to go on Hilda.

It has a couple of differences to others I have seen and have had some correspondence with the seller. This is one reason for my questions above.

The Sportsman has a much earlier badge of a different design. I will see if I can arrange a picture or two of it.

Leigh.

Other than knowing this badge is 25mm diameter, I have no other information about its origins, history, age, etc...

The A.C.T. Caravan Club did not survive. I know not when it folded.

The CCC was commenced in 1972. The following was copied from www.canberracaravanclub.org.au/visitors/history/full_history.html

• CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS
  Mar 1972 An advertisement was placed in the Canberra Times, by Jack and
  Pam Pemberton, seeking interest in forming a Caravan Club.
  
  17 Apr 1972 A first get together and discussions take place as a result of
  responses to the advertisement.
  
  01 May 1972 The inaugural meeting of the Canberra Caravan Club was held
  with nine members present.
  
  These members set down the foundation for the club's future
  including deciding on a name and to become incorporated, and met
  every fortnight until July.
  
  The first Annual General Meeting occurred on 9 April 1973, with
  some 35 members and $1000 in the bank account.
  
  
• 
  
  

PeterD (CCC 140.)

hi

my sister and brother-in-law have been members of the CCC since 1975 and he is currently the president and has been on 6 occasions. They are both life members.

the full history of the club can be seen here.

there is also a full list of all members including life members here.

the website is www.canberracaravanclub.org.au

geoff 'n jude