franni
Junior Member
Posts: 65
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Post by franni on Mar 27, 2015 18:11:38 GMT 10
Yea Don, the suits are on, and the cocktail dress to go with the cocktail glasses in the cocktail cabinet! ooh la la
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Post by akeepsake on Mar 27, 2015 23:37:31 GMT 10
Great effort Richard ! I reckon it'll be good for another 75 years! Good to see the family pulling together and your boys protecting their inheritance ! A great resolve!
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M&M
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by M&M on Jun 23, 2015 18:14:56 GMT 10
What a great story!!!
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 28, 2015 15:39:57 GMT 10
Hi all, Well, it's time to replace the rubber seals round the windows, door and hatches on the van. They've done pretty well to last for 65+ years. Maybe 'lasting 65+ years' is a bit of an exaggeration though - it's q-u-i-t-e a while since they've done a whole lot of sealing and/or cushioning. I've been meaning to replace them for some time! Having removed the seal from the hatch on the door... ...it's time to get stuck into the roof hatch: Hmmm, I'm committed now - looks like I'll have to complete the job before we can take the van away again! OK, onto the windows then... Don Ricardo
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manxie
Junior Member
Posts: 73
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Post by manxie on Sept 28, 2015 16:55:55 GMT 10
Hi Don, I have spent a nice arvo reading through your story and holidays. I live one suburb over from Wantirna so loved seeing the old pic of the van in the driveway. I am just about to have my new old van dropped off to me in a couple of days and noticed you had commented on a thread where it is mentioned. My van is a Korong mentioned in the thread about vans at Killarney. I plan to repaint and polish the aluminium and was going to go fancy with the colours but the more i look at your van the more i think i will keep it cream! - love how you have painted the tow bar green! i might pinch that idea? thanks for an interesting afternoon Manxie
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 28, 2015 22:53:20 GMT 10
Hi Manxie, Thanks for your nice comments about the story of our van. I'm glad you enjoyed reading the posts. As you have seen, the Don has been - and still is - pretty central to the life of our family. My wife reckons that I become a more relaxed person as soon as we drive out of the driveway with the caravan on the back of the car. It's excellent to hear that you've acquired the Korong van from Killarney. It looks like a great van - really nice inside, especially. I trust you will have a lot of fun and many happy journeys with it. If you've found the Korong thread in the Down History Lane section you'll know that Korong caravans put their brand on all the vans they sold, whatever the original brandname. In the case of your van, I'm pretty sure it's a Franklin from around 1960 - you can compare it to the 1960 Franklin shown in this post and tell me what you think. The green on our A-frame isn't a sign of creativity on my part. It's part of the colour scheme that Don used on all its vans post-WW II through to 1956. I've just continued using that colour to keep the van as original as I can. You are more than welcome to use that colour if you wish. We'll look forward to seeing your van as you perform your magic on it. Don Ricardo
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manxie
Junior Member
Posts: 73
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Post by manxie on Sept 29, 2015 7:01:30 GMT 10
Thanks Don Ricardo, great link! i think it looks most like the 59-60 pic, did they still have ice boxes then? i will be sure to post some pics as i go along and no doubt pick the brains of this amazing group. Thanks again Manxie.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Sept 29, 2015 10:15:25 GMT 10
Hi Manxie,
Yes, vans definitely still came with ice boxes in the late 50's and early 50's. Kerosene refrigerators were installed in some vans in the 40's (possibly earlier?), and electric/gas fridges began to be offered as after market items from the early 50's, then as extra cost options or as standard on some vans from the mid-50's on, but they didn't really become standard equipment generally speaking until the 60's. Even then some manufacturers still offered an ice box as as option.
Don Ricardo
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manxie
Junior Member
Posts: 73
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Post by manxie on Sept 29, 2015 11:44:52 GMT 10
thanks for the info, I've looked at so many pics now through loads of threads and links and think it looks most like one that was dated 1958 as it does not have the same front windows as the 59/60 van. its arriving tomorrow so i will have a hunt around for evidence! i know it has something welded on the tow bar but its hard to read from the pic so i will have to do the good old fashioned rubbing to work it out! Manxie
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Post by lewis0765 on Sept 30, 2015 0:26:50 GMT 10
Great history really like it...
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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 23, 2016 12:13:13 GMT 10
Hi all, My last post about the story of our Don was back last September when I had just started replacing the rubber seals on the door, windows and hatch: Well, as often happens on old vans, a quick, simple job turned into a job that was neither quick nor simple. So having pulled out the old seals, some of which dated back to 1949, I realised that I had better scrape back and re-paint the woodwork under the seals. Ok, that won't take long, will it? Well, yes it will because Son Number 2 came out to give me a hand and noticed a few cracks in the paintwork on the offside wall which I had been steadfastly trying to ignore. "Hey Dad", says he from the other side of the van, "there are a few cracks in the paintwork around here...but don't worry. I've sanded back the worst bits so that you can fill them and then re-paint the side." Oh, great, so now I'm going to paint the whole offside apparently? "And Dad, you need to work on the roof", comes a voice from above me. "There's some cracked paint and flaking paint up here." Oh well, the offside and the roof won't take too long... But hang on, the paint on the newly painted wall looks as if it's a different colour to the paint on the rest of the van, even though it's from the same can of paint we used last time? So, do you mean to tell me that paint on an external surface fades, and also changes colour in the tin? Why, yes it does. Hmmm, looks like I'm going to have to paint the whole van now! And that's how replacing a few rubber seals resulted in the the Don getting a complete repaint...with the finishing touches being applied - despite my promises otherwise to a long suffering Dona Ricardo, who has seen it all before - the day before we headed off on our regular summer trip to Tuross Head on the southern coast of NSW at the beginning of January. At least in the end there was some reward for all the effort: Dona Ricardo and I are creatures of habit in relation to our summer holiday in the caravan, and if you've ever read through this thread you'll know pretty much how our trip runs. However, I thought I'd show you a few pics of some of the things we saw along the way. On our way to the south coast, we stopped overnight at the caravan park at Cann River - something we had often thought of doing but had never done. It's a pretty but fairly rustic camp on the banks of the river. The booking office masquerades as the bar at the local pub. While we were there we caught up with forum member Neville1025 who was on his way south from Rockhampton with his Olympic: We had just missed a few days of heavy rainfall on the coast, but the rain had caused the lake at Tuross to flood with a huge amount of sediment and flotsam and jetsam washed into the lake and the sea. The beach was covered with driftwood... ...which holidaying kids had fun turning into cubbies: Because of the amount of sediment in the water, the caps of the waves were brown instead of white for a few days: But the sediment and the froth reflected the sunlight in an interesting way, resulting in some spectacular views from 'One Tree Hill' at sunset: Within a few days, the water was crystal clear again and the sand clean. The power of the ocean is awesome! Towards the end of our stay though, we had a couple of days of strong wind, and for the first time ever I had to take the awning down. I just couldn't get the tent pegs to stay in the ground and the tent poles kept telescoping into themselves: One of the caravans that has been at Tuross Head at the same time as us for the last couple of years is this nice little 1971 Franklin Mini which its young owners are refurbishing bit by bit: While we were at Tuross, I visited Cruz to check out her current van, 'Old Bessie', which is a little home-built job she picked up last year. It was a bit tight for photos, but at least you'll get an idea of the van: Note the hatch in the side towards the rear? Yep, it provides a bit of extra legroom for tall people with long legs! Not sure if Cruz is tall enough to need it, but she might be. The fretwork below the cupboards is quite a nice and unusual touch: Cruz looking pleased with her purchase: As usual we held the annual meeting of the "Eurobodalla Vintage Caravan Society", this time at the RSL at Bateman's Bay overlooking the water. Very pleasant indeed. In the photo (L to R) are Jennison, Mrs Jennison, Cruz, yours truly, and Colinandsuewith their daughter. Dona Ricardo was taking the photo. Dona Ricardo and I enjoyed trips to Bateman's Bay... ...Nelligen... ...and the pretty little town of Central Tilba which provided it's usual array of photo opportunities: This one confused me though... I know what a telephone box is, but what is a telaphone box? Maybe Cobber can enlighten me? We also had a wander around part of Coila Lake which lies to the north of Tuross Head, and can be seen from the Tuross Head golf course: We were fascinated by the large flock of black-capped birds that were mingling with the silver gulls. I haven't been able to find them in any of our bird books. Anybody know what they are? On our last day at Tuross, I received a call from Cruz, inviting me to come and check out her latest rig which had just arrived. Naturally I refused - yeah, right! Can't see that happening! It consists of a 1947 Ford woody wagon... ...and a matching 1954 Atlantic woody - just slightly modded. Note the fabric roof: Knowing Cruz, I've got an idea the black and white checks inside may not last long... When last seen on the forum in 2007, the Atlantic looked like this: However, when the then owner tried to restore it it was too far gone, and it was then used as the basis for the caravan as it now is - an 'Atlantic tribute' you might call it. Heading home via the King's Highway at Nelligen: A pretty spot at Braidwood: And finally...a friendly chap we met while having a bite of lunch one day: Don Ricardo
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carl
New Member
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Post by carl on Mar 23, 2016 15:49:47 GMT 10
Great photos of your travels. We always stay in the site next to yours (site #18) at Tuross Heads whenever we stay there, but we've obviously never both been there at the same time.... maybe one day.
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Post by cobber on Mar 23, 2016 20:50:01 GMT 10
G'day Don R, Thanks again for some great inspirational photos of the 1949 Dons adventures. The Cruz lady certainly gets hold of some interesting wheels doesn't she As for the TELAPHONE BOX, the sigh writer was obviously a closet Lady Gaga fan ... and speaking of birds, the ones hanging out with the seagulls are members of the Tern family, but I wouldn't bet money on which part of the family, maybe the Fairy Terns ? or the Whiskered (Marsh) Terns ? Cobber.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 23, 2016 22:02:32 GMT 10
G'day Carl and Cobber, Carl, I knew you'd caught us napping (literally) at Tuross Head last year, but I hadn't realised that you also camp there. What time of the year do you usually go there? We're thinking of going at a different time next year, now that we are no longer tied to school holidays by Dona Ricardo's work. Maybe we should coordinate our visits with you and hold a mini vintage caravan rally there - all two of our vans! As you know, Tuross is one of those places where a lot of the caravanners have been going there every summer for 50 or 60 years, as children and as adults. And when they can't cope with caravanning anymore, they graduate to one of the cabins. Having only been caravanning there for around ten years, we feel like newcomers, but the old "timers" now tell us that they watch out for our (distinctive) caravan and give us a very warm welcome. Cobber, you're right about Cruz. She certainly does come up with some amazing vehicles and vans. She also holds them fairly lightly, so that when she sees something more interesting she's prepared to let the previous rigs go. Nothing wrong with that if that's the way you roll - and it always means there's something interesting to see when I visit! Thanks also for identifying the birds as terns. I'm not sure which ones they are yet either, but am checking my books. I had assumed at first that they were gulls but realised after a while that they weren't. Don Ricardo
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Post by Geoff & Jude on Mar 24, 2016 6:49:33 GMT 10
and speaking of birds, the ones hanging out with the seagulls are members of the Tern family, but I wouldn't bet money on which part of the family, maybe the Fairy Terns ? or the Whiskered (Marsh) Terns ? Cobber. i first saw one of those black headed birds on 31st dec 1999 and again the next day. it turned out to be the "tern of the century". geoff 'n jude
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Post by strugglebrook on Mar 24, 2016 8:57:00 GMT 10
There was a song written about them, Tern,tern,tern by the Byrds.
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Post by shesgotthelook on Mar 24, 2016 13:19:58 GMT 10
Didn't Tina Terner do a song about them?
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carl
New Member
Posts: 11
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Post by carl on Mar 24, 2016 18:45:51 GMT 10
G'day Carl and Cobber, Carl, I knew you'd caught us napping (literally) at Tuross Head last year, but I hadn't realised that you also camp there. What time of the year do you usually go there? We're thinking of going at a different time next year, now that we are no longer tied to school holidays by Dona Ricardo's work. Maybe we should coordinate our visits with you and hold a mini vintage caravan rally there - all two of our vans! As you know, Tuross is one of those places where a lot of the caravanners have been going there every summer for 50 or 60 years, as children and as adults. And when they can't cope with caravanning anymore, they graduate to one of the cabins. Having only been caravanning there for around ten years, we feel like newcomers, but the old "timers" now tell us that they watch out for our (distinctive) caravan and give us a very warm welcome. Don Ricardo Hi Don Ricardo, we've only been going to Tuross for two years, but because we tow our van with a distinctive 1962 Chevy Impala, we have met a few people who are regulars at the park because everyone loves to talk about our old car and van combo, which certainly draws a crowd. I also recall a lady telling us she'd been going for 50 years and now returns regularly to an on-site van. We're booked in for 17-23 Dec this year if you want to come up at a different time. We like to go and be back home (but we only have to come down from near Canberra) before Xmas to avoid the worst of the crazy Xmas traffic.
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Post by strugglebrook on Mar 25, 2016 7:17:49 GMT 10
No Shesgotthelook, It was Cher, If I could Tern back time.
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Post by akeepsake on Mar 25, 2016 11:25:16 GMT 10
Ok it's my Tern! What about Bonnie Tyler " tern around bright eyes" Total eclipse of the heart? "Tern on your love light " Bob Seger "Tern me loose" Loverboy Ok ok enough ! Don R great pics Love the woody combo! And glad to see you are protecting that Don with some wel deserved Paint!!! Enjoy the Nats and lookin forward to 2018 when its Tassies TERN to host them? Travel safe and I hope yo don't miss the right ternoffs!!!!!!
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Post by strugglebrook on Mar 26, 2016 6:15:25 GMT 10
Sorry Don, 1 more, what about bands, Backmen Terner Overdrive, now that`s good VV music.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 23, 2017 15:09:16 GMT 10
Hi all, Well, our Don added to its list of expeditions earlier this month. It was taken away by Son No 1 and his family for a fortnight's holiday at Dona Ricardo's and my favourite spot of Tuross Head. Son No 1 (and also Son No 3) have had the Don away before, but only for a weekend to the Mornington Peninsula and using our car to tow. This time it was going interstate and being towed by our daughter-in-law's Mazda CX9. Leaving our driveway: So that makes the eleventh tow car for the Don. Given it's long history, it's got quite a lot of experience training tow vehicles, and soon teaches them the ropes... The family camped at Gundagai for the night on the way: And checking out the Ettamogah Pub on the way back: While Son No 1 was away in the van, our other daughter-in-law came up with this photo of our family from the family album, taken around 1985: That's Dona Ricardo with our three boys playing snakes and ladders. Son No 1 is on the right. Inspired by the photo above, Son No 1 took a photo of his own family playing a board game in the caravan: Son No 1 tells us that being away in the caravan - the sights, the sounds and the smell of bondwood - brought back heaps of memories of his holidays in the van as a kid, and he kept his own children spellbound with stories of 'way back when' and 'caravan dering do'. When the van came back home, I helped Son No 1 empty out all their holiday gear - surf boards, children's bikes, Lego, bags of clothes... I had forgotten how much you can cram into a caravan, but I'm also glad we don't have to pack all that gear anymore when Dona Ricardo and I head off! Now that Son No 1 has taken the van away on a proper holiday on his own, I've told Dona Ricardo that I'm going to rename him 'SonaRicardo' (say it fast!). It's a Dad Joke so she groaned appropriately, as wives all around the world are expected to do! It was great to see the next generation heading off for a caravan holiday in our family's beloved Don. But seeing the van head off out of the drive did give Dona Ricardo and I a bad case of itchy feet, and we did miss our time at Tuross Head as well as our chance to catch up with forum members Cruz, Jennison and Colinandsue at the annual meeting of the "Eurobodalla Vintage Caravan Society" (aka dinner together at the Hogs Breath Cafe at Bateman's Bay). Looks like we'll just have to plan a trip away ourselves! Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Feb 1, 2017 22:00:58 GMT 10
Evening all, Our Don is trying to out do Cobber's Driftwood in the celebrity stakes. Only trouble is, I'm not sure that featuring in a caravan service Facebook post quite competes with a photo shoot involving models and surfboards, or being featured in Country Style magazine and on Christmas cards.... Don Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Oct 20, 2018 12:28:16 GMT 10
Hi all, Last week we took the Don for a few days caravanning to Marlo, near Orbost. It's the first time the van had been to Marlo since February 1950. Yes, that's right almost 69 years ago and before I was born! Below is a pic of my dad at Marlo proudly displaying a fish he caught, with a glimpse of the Don and annexe behind him: In 1950 my parents got stuck in Marlo when the nearby Brodribb River flooded the Orbost to Marlo Road. These photos show the flooded road from the Orbost and Marlo ends respectively: Food and other supplies were brought in to Marlo by rowboat, and then by tractor and trailer: Eventually the floodwaters receded a bit, and my father's car and the caravan were towed through the water by tractor. I wish my mother had taken a photo of that, but at least you know why Don caravans were built so high off the ground! We didn't run into any problems when we were in Marlo, except finding a camping site... ...there were so many to choose from that it was difficult to select one! While we were there we visited Cape Conran, which was partly shrouded by sea mist... ...walked along the Snowy River Estuary... ...and walked through the Cabbage Tree Palm reserve: It's the southern most stand of cabbage tree palms in Australia, and there are only a hundred palms. The van stopped at Lakes Entrance on the way home: It was a really nice short break, and fun taking the Don back to one of its early campsites which I've always wanted to see. Don Ricardo
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Post by Mustang on Oct 20, 2018 20:23:10 GMT 10
Lovely family ties!!!
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