Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 9, 2007 22:31:24 GMT 10
Welcome to ‘Down History Lane’.
The purpose of this corner of the Vintage Caravans forum is to provide a place where you can record information about the history of:
This information is of interest in itself, but also helps those with a vintage caravan to identify and date their vans, and can also be invaluable in providing information for those wanting to restore their vans to original condition.
Some information on these topics has already been posted at various locations on the forum. Examples are Franklin’s thread on the history of Franklin caravans, Belinda’s contributions on the history of Atlantic caravans and other Sydney van manufacturers, and Mark T’s build number list for Don caravans. Cobber’s thread on tow couplings is an example of a contribution on the history of caravan design. Lots of other information is sprinkled around in different places, for example information about Propert caravans.
The trouble is a lot of this information is really hard to find again when you want it! Hence the idea of creating a place on the forum devoted to recording information which will help us trace the development of Australia's unique caravan heritage.
Here are a few guidelines to assist us to make the most out of this section:
1. When you create a thread, give it a name which clearly identifies the make of caravan you are posting about, the era or the topic (eg 'History of Sunliner caravans’ or 'Franklin caravans of the 1960’s' or ‘Development of pop-top caravans’).
2. If you are adding to a thread, only add information about the type of caravan or topic identified by the thread, unless you are adding information that is clearly related. For example some caravans were sold under several different names, and it would be relevant to discuss the various brand names under which the vans were sold.
3. This section is designed for the collection of historical information about vintage caravans, and hence should mainly be used to post factual information. However, there is also value in posting hearsay information (and even rumour) if it relates to the history of a particular make or design development. Hearsay (and rumour) can sometimes provide a lead in tracking down further factual information.
4. This section of the forum will probably be mainly used by people interested in particular makes of caravan, but it would be good if it was used by others as well. For example it would be interesting to start a thread tracking the history of home-built caravans based on the plans in Keith Winser’s caravan guides. Another interesting topic could be the development of caravan parks over the decades.
5. The V V forum is about pre-1970's caravans and caravanning history. It is true that some pre-1970's caravan manufacturers and design/style trends continued after 31 December 1969. However, to be consistent with the focus of the forum, threads or posts in the Down History Lane section which refer to caravans built in 1970 and beyond will only be accepted if the information contained in the post directly relates to pre-1970 caravans, caravan manufacturers, or other aspect of caravanning history. In such cases the post should make it clear why it is relevant to pre-1970 caravans.
6. Information about the history of caravans built between 1970 and 1980 should normally be posted in the appropriate section of the Classic Caravans forum: ditzygypsy.proboards.com/
7. Please do not use the threads in this section to have a general conversation about V V get togethers, swapping/selling goods, tow cars, etc. There are other sections on the forum for this, and posts of this nature will be moved if necessary.
Don Ricardo
The purpose of this corner of the Vintage Caravans forum is to provide a place where you can record information about the history of:
- Particular makes of vintage caravans.
- The development of particular vintage caravan styles, building materials or accessories.
- Anything else that will help us understand more about the history and development of Australian caravans.
This information is of interest in itself, but also helps those with a vintage caravan to identify and date their vans, and can also be invaluable in providing information for those wanting to restore their vans to original condition.
Some information on these topics has already been posted at various locations on the forum. Examples are Franklin’s thread on the history of Franklin caravans, Belinda’s contributions on the history of Atlantic caravans and other Sydney van manufacturers, and Mark T’s build number list for Don caravans. Cobber’s thread on tow couplings is an example of a contribution on the history of caravan design. Lots of other information is sprinkled around in different places, for example information about Propert caravans.
The trouble is a lot of this information is really hard to find again when you want it! Hence the idea of creating a place on the forum devoted to recording information which will help us trace the development of Australia's unique caravan heritage.
Here are a few guidelines to assist us to make the most out of this section:
1. When you create a thread, give it a name which clearly identifies the make of caravan you are posting about, the era or the topic (eg 'History of Sunliner caravans’ or 'Franklin caravans of the 1960’s' or ‘Development of pop-top caravans’).
2. If you are adding to a thread, only add information about the type of caravan or topic identified by the thread, unless you are adding information that is clearly related. For example some caravans were sold under several different names, and it would be relevant to discuss the various brand names under which the vans were sold.
3. This section is designed for the collection of historical information about vintage caravans, and hence should mainly be used to post factual information. However, there is also value in posting hearsay information (and even rumour) if it relates to the history of a particular make or design development. Hearsay (and rumour) can sometimes provide a lead in tracking down further factual information.
4. This section of the forum will probably be mainly used by people interested in particular makes of caravan, but it would be good if it was used by others as well. For example it would be interesting to start a thread tracking the history of home-built caravans based on the plans in Keith Winser’s caravan guides. Another interesting topic could be the development of caravan parks over the decades.
5. The V V forum is about pre-1970's caravans and caravanning history. It is true that some pre-1970's caravan manufacturers and design/style trends continued after 31 December 1969. However, to be consistent with the focus of the forum, threads or posts in the Down History Lane section which refer to caravans built in 1970 and beyond will only be accepted if the information contained in the post directly relates to pre-1970 caravans, caravan manufacturers, or other aspect of caravanning history. In such cases the post should make it clear why it is relevant to pre-1970 caravans.
6. Information about the history of caravans built between 1970 and 1980 should normally be posted in the appropriate section of the Classic Caravans forum: ditzygypsy.proboards.com/
7. Please do not use the threads in this section to have a general conversation about V V get togethers, swapping/selling goods, tow cars, etc. There are other sections on the forum for this, and posts of this nature will be moved if necessary.
Don Ricardo