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Post by mel on Jul 27, 2016 17:01:26 GMT 10
Cobber's guess......... "I reckon it's custom built (sounds better than home built) in Queensland sometime in the 1940s. The fact that you found it in Qld. the barn style door and the general style shout Queensland built to me."
So unless I find anything that tells me otherwise, I will go with that.
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Post by shesgotthelook on Jul 27, 2016 21:10:34 GMT 10
Now that Mel has revealed her fantastic & unique caravan, hopefully she won't mind me posting this link I found when trying to find out what she had bought! vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/13005/mystery-50s-60sWhile trying to find anything like it, I've come to the conclusion it's a copy of American built 2 door trailers
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Post by mel on Jul 27, 2016 21:46:40 GMT 10
Post away. The description of the wooden sink is not correct. It is an enamel sink with a plywood drain board. I also have only found American 2 door trailers, when trying to find something similar. Apart from this one that Cobber posted under Home-made Caravans
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Post by mel on Aug 7, 2016 20:13:42 GMT 10
The van is now under cover. We got a $12,000- quote to put up a double carport and decided the carport will have to wait till next year. So we decided to make use of our undercover area. The only problem was, it is out the back and on the opposite side of the house to the driveway. It took two days to do it, but we got there in the end. Reversing down the side of the house. We had to move the trampoline and the swing set, then winch the van around. Then we had to jack up the rear end to clear the veggie garden. Then jack it up again to clear the retaining wall. One more turn. Nearly there. It's in.
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Post by Mustang on Aug 9, 2016 16:35:29 GMT 10
OMG.. millimeters to spare...great cover for your reno. Those days "not dark till 9.30pm" are on the way
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manxie
Junior Member
Posts: 73
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Post by manxie on Aug 19, 2016 18:30:00 GMT 10
looks fab!
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Post by mel on Sept 9, 2016 11:09:12 GMT 10
I have started to remove the ply. I am carefully removing each one to use as a template, so it is quite slow going.
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Post by Mustang on Sept 9, 2016 16:47:24 GMT 10
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Post by mel on Sept 9, 2016 20:18:47 GMT 10
This is the good side. The other side was exposed to the weather, so I am expecting quite a bit of damage. Also the panel to the right has the shower behind it, I can already see from the little bit that is exposed that it is very rotten.
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Post by mel on Oct 27, 2016 19:20:03 GMT 10
I managed to find a bit of history of this van. I tracked down the daughter of one of the owners of the van.
Parts of Melody’s email …. My Dad (Bernie Porter) owned the caravan. I remember it well from my youth. Unfortunately I can't recollect the van's origins, except I'm sure that my Dad did not build it himself, although he was a most amazing man and made all sorts of things, having been a Fitter and Turner and Mechanic and served in the RAAF in New Guinea during the Second World War working on keeping Australia's fighter aircraft in the air. My family lived in Theodore and Dad would go over to the coast on fishing trips. The van was used for accommodation.
Melody made some enquiries for me and here are parts of her follow up email…… The general concensus is that Dad would have bought the van around about 1966. He bought it somewhere on the coast and set it up at Mooring Place, Boyne Island, just down towards the Boyne River from where the van was when you bought it. Once it was set up as his fishing camp, it didn't move until it went up to Mum's place which is where it was when you bought it.
So now we have named the van "Bernie".
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Post by mel on Oct 28, 2016 8:50:34 GMT 10
Things are progressing. I have been continuing to remove the outer skin, but have found it easier to pry it off from inside the van. So a decision was made to remove "things" from inside the van to enable access to the outer skin. Upon closer inspection, it has become apparent that the van has been remodelled in the 1960's. This remodelling involved removing the kitchen from the front of the van and rebuilding another one in the middle. Lining the shower with galvanised sheets, removing the seating area and putting in a bed and vanity. Also putting in a bed where the kitchen used to be. Some parts of the van were also lined with a textured Masonite. So I have removed the kitchen, beds, vanity, shower lining and masonite. Now I have a bit of a blank canvas and will attempt to rebuild everything more in the style of how it would have originally been. The later addition kitchen.
The galvanised shower lining.
This lovely curved wall that was hidden by the shower lining.
The drawbar came off easily. It looks to be in good condition.
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Post by Mustang on Oct 28, 2016 9:31:28 GMT 10
Hi Mel, Good to see an update, my goodness you are earning this van, but it looks reasonable in condition all things considered. Nice to get some van history. That pink Laminex brings back some memories of our childhood kitchen.
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Post by mel on Oct 28, 2016 16:42:29 GMT 10
I just pulled up a thin piece of masonite from one section of the floor and found this lino. What a great pattern, I wish they hadn't pulled it out.
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Post by shesgotthelook on Oct 28, 2016 20:02:56 GMT 10
Yes, such a shame. But at the time, they probably thought it was dated & shabby , never realising how popular & rare it would become.
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Post by mel on Oct 29, 2016 18:47:36 GMT 10
Yes, such a shame. But at the time, they probably thought it was dated & shabby , never realising how popular & rare it would become. True, I wish the flooring companies would start to reproduce these patterns.
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Post by akeepsake on Mar 7, 2017 17:52:43 GMT 10
I just pulled up a thin piece of masonite from one section of the floor and found this lino. What a great pattern, I wish they hadn't pulled it out. Mel you may be in luck I have similar original Lino I brought from a old house I reckon there would be enough for your van possibly? Drop me a text if your interested
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Post by aussieute on Mar 7, 2017 19:17:55 GMT 10
Great old van very big for the year built looks like it will come up a treat chris
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Post by Little Lucy on Mar 9, 2017 6:28:48 GMT 10
I just pulled up a thin piece of masonite from one section of the floor and found this lino. What a great pattern, I wish they hadn't pulled it out. Mel you may be in luck I have similar original Lino I brought from a old house I reckon there would be enough for your van possibly? Drop me a text if your interested I love that Lino - did Mel take it? I would be interested if she did notl thanks, Jane
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Post by willies on Mar 9, 2017 6:58:01 GMT 10
Time for some updates and photos please. We have just returned from 10 nights touring Tassie in a camper with no rain sighted the whole trip. With such clear and beautiful Tassie weather you should be powering along.
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Post by akeepsake on Mar 9, 2017 8:43:38 GMT 10
Mel you may be in luck I have similar original Lino I brought from a old house I reckon there would be enough for your van possibly? Drop me a text if your interested I love that Lino - did Mel take it? I would be interested if she did notl thanks, Jane Hi I'm in Tassie shoot me a text if your interested still 0499533798
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Post by mel on Jun 2, 2017 9:40:46 GMT 10
You are right Willies, it is time for an update. I got to this stage in December, and then it has just sat like this, untouched. I'm on uni break, so things are starting to happen again. The carpenter is due to come in a couple of weeks time, to repair the rotten framing. I have sanded back one of the doors and thought others would find the wooden porthole quite interesting.
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cster
New Member
Posts: 49
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Post by cster on Jun 9, 2017 18:44:27 GMT 10
That's a very special Bondwood Van, I don't see very many where the front leans forward same as the back. As a kid when the parents were alive we had a plyvan which leant forward like that about 12ft long, have no idea what it was but, It is one of only a few I've ever seen that leans forward for the front wall. Keep at it, I'm sure you will return it to a marvellously unique Van.
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Post by mel on Jun 10, 2017 12:07:40 GMT 10
Hi cster, It is a bit unique. Although I prefer the look of the more curved vans, the good thing about this one is that we have heaps of head room. No hitting your head when you stand up!! So although it is not the most attractive van, it is interesting and quite luxurious. I have been trying to convince hubby and the kids that this one will scrub up well and they will grow just as fond of it as they are our other van, but so far they can't be convinced.
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Post by mel on Jun 10, 2017 14:10:42 GMT 10
Some of the framing ribs had been partly removed at one end and the others were falling apart. So instead of employing the carpenter to replace them or asking my Dad to do it, I decided to have a go at making some new ones myself. So I went off to Bunnings and bought myself a girly router as the one my husband has is very bulky and heavy. I then sought some advice from Dad and headed out to the shed. This is the result. I showed them to the carpenter and he said that I had done a good job. Yay!!
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Post by Koala on Jun 10, 2017 17:12:26 GMT 10
Mel if you can turn out work like that you can come to Canberra and practice on my Wayfarer Well done!! Koala
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