Post by Don Ricardo on Oct 29, 2016 19:56:00 GMT 10
Caravan built by Fred Lang as listed on Ebuy in October 2014, after refurbishing by Sweetascandy:
On 25 June 2014 here, Sweetascandy posted:
Hi all I bought this beauty 2 weeks ago at what I thought was a steal of 500 dollars, the van was built in 1963 by a Fred Lang ? It had only had 2 owners came registered and had been undercover 30 years
Everything works all lights , fridge , stove everything!! Yay! Also to my amazement it came with a 10 in 1 multi tool with instructions from 1950 and original memorabilia with dates for the fridge and lighting just wanted to know...if anyone knows anymore about Fred
And later that day added:
I bought the van from Gumtree and picked it up from a lovely old man named Bill he was from what I understand Fred's best mate and received the van before Fred passed away ...Fred Lang also built boats just thought I would see if anyone else had heard of him thanks a bunch guys I'm not worried about what it's worth it's already got me on cloud 9...now for her new paint job
Later the same day DC3Td responded:
Gday Sweetas.Now the following excerpt c/o Trove digital news 'could' be your Fred Lang.If so quite a character...Alternatively you might ask your seller if he can provide any more background of Fred. cheers gordon
(Source: Mail (Adelaide) Saturday, 21 January 1933, page 3 - National Library of Australia nla.gov.au/20nla.news-article59386956 )
If you have trouble reading the original article above, the following may help:
JACK OF ALL TRADES
S.A. Man's 69 Jobs in 19 Years
South Australia has its 'Jack of all trades'— and master of many. He is Mr. Fred Lang, who was born at Angaston 32 years ago next March. He claims to have worked at more occupations than Mr. Frank(?) Harley, of London, referred to in “The Mail” last week, whose record was 40(?) jobs in 27 years.
Mr. Lang's total is 65 in 19 years and, although he has not travelled in foreign countries, he is never happy unless he is roaming and for that reason his only permanent address is Box 277D, G.P.O.
He has travelled extensively through Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia on his various jobs and while at times he has been ''up against it” he has always been able to find something to do.
He has made himself adaptable so that he has always been able to take on any job offering and by common sense and observation has been able to carry it through.
MANY ACCIDENTS
He has had his fair share of accidents, too. For instance, at Renmark he had a leg crushed in ahead-on collision between his motor cycle and a motor lorry, twice he has been caught in a stirrup iron with the horse kicking, once at Cambrai, and once at Regunyah Station, New South Wales.
He hit a stump while cultivating and was thrown off the seat of the machine and landed among the tines, he had the unique experience of being thrown three times in one day off the same horse at Renmark and landed each time on his feet with the reins in his hands. He has helped to fight bushfires. One in 1917 at Belmore. New South Wales, was on an 80 mile front.
Mr. Lang is also an inventor, but he says that inventing does not seem to be a profitable occupation. His most promising invention is a machine for raising scaffolding. He has also used his ingenuity to produce a nail stripper for cases, a press for nailing down cases, a window lift to operate windows when the sash cord breaks, and a frying pan steamer. In addition he goes in for oil painting and drawing.
The list of his occupations is: —
Storekeeper, farm hand, stone cracker, fruit packer, green man, scrub clearer, tree planter, bread deliverer, orange packer, case maker, shed hand (dried fruits), drover, clerk, sawyer, butter worker, boundary rider, dam sinker, gardener, building carpenter, coffin maker, grave digger, boat builder, hotel yardman, waiter, miner, navvy, bag sewer (wheat), road maker, wheat carter, cabinet maker, sewing machine salesman, confectionery worker. show card writer, show demonstrator, commercial traveller, canvasser, electric sign maker, opossum trapper, apple picker, nailer and wirer of cases, patent medicine manufacturer, motor driver, mechanic, painter, paperhanger, pipe fitter, mason's, laborer, bird trapper, galley boy, poker worker, tree pruner, motor body builder, wholesale fruit buyer, skin, wool and hide buyer, prospector, lamb marker, window dresser, fly catcher manufacturer, wireless manufacturer, jockey (amateur), french polisher, inventor, small goods delivery, and he has also worked at hooping (case) and theatre furnishing.
We don't know for sure whether the Fred Lang who built the caravan is one and the same as the Fred Lang in the article discovered by DC3Td. However, Sweetascandy reported that Fred Lang the caravan builder was also a boat builder, and we know that the Fred Lang in the newspaper article claimed to be a boat builder (amongst many other things!). It would also appear from the list of his occupations or jobs, that the Fred Lang in the article was willing to turn his hand to many things and liked to move around, so could well have turned his hand to building a caravan for his own use.
As indicated, the article in the Adelaide Mail was published in January 1933, at which point that Fred Lang was reported to be 32. That means if the same man built Sweetascandy's van in 1963, he would have been 62 years old - quite feasible. Unfortunately we don't know in which state Sweetascandy found her van, and we don't know where the Fred Lang of the article ended up. But it would be nice to think that one day we will be able to find out if it's the same Fred Lang.
Whether or not we can find out who Fred Lang the caravan builder was, I've always thought that his van is particularly pretty.
Don Ricardo
On 25 June 2014 here, Sweetascandy posted:
Hi all I bought this beauty 2 weeks ago at what I thought was a steal of 500 dollars, the van was built in 1963 by a Fred Lang ? It had only had 2 owners came registered and had been undercover 30 years
Everything works all lights , fridge , stove everything!! Yay! Also to my amazement it came with a 10 in 1 multi tool with instructions from 1950 and original memorabilia with dates for the fridge and lighting
just wanted to know...if anyone knows anymore about Fred And later that day added:
I bought the van from Gumtree
and picked it up from a lovely old man named Bill he was from what I understand Fred's best mate and received the van before Fred passed away ...Fred Lang also built boats just thought I would see if anyone else had heard of him thanks a bunch guys I'm not worried about what it's worth it's already got me on cloud 9...now for her new paint job Later the same day DC3Td responded:
Gday Sweetas.Now the following excerpt c/o Trove digital news 'could' be your Fred Lang.If so quite a character...Alternatively you might ask your seller if he can provide any more background of Fred. cheers gordon
(Source: Mail (Adelaide) Saturday, 21 January 1933, page 3 - National Library of Australia nla.gov.au/20nla.news-article59386956 )
If you have trouble reading the original article above, the following may help:
JACK OF ALL TRADES
S.A. Man's 69 Jobs in 19 Years
South Australia has its 'Jack of all trades'— and master of many. He is Mr. Fred Lang, who was born at Angaston 32 years ago next March. He claims to have worked at more occupations than Mr. Frank(?) Harley, of London, referred to in “The Mail” last week, whose record was 40(?) jobs in 27 years.
Mr. Lang's total is 65 in 19 years and, although he has not travelled in foreign countries, he is never happy unless he is roaming and for that reason his only permanent address is Box 277D, G.P.O.
He has travelled extensively through Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia on his various jobs and while at times he has been ''up against it” he has always been able to find something to do.
He has made himself adaptable so that he has always been able to take on any job offering and by common sense and observation has been able to carry it through.
MANY ACCIDENTS
He has had his fair share of accidents, too. For instance, at Renmark he had a leg crushed in ahead-on collision between his motor cycle and a motor lorry, twice he has been caught in a stirrup iron with the horse kicking, once at Cambrai, and once at Regunyah Station, New South Wales.
He hit a stump while cultivating and was thrown off the seat of the machine and landed among the tines, he had the unique experience of being thrown three times in one day off the same horse at Renmark and landed each time on his feet with the reins in his hands. He has helped to fight bushfires. One in 1917 at Belmore. New South Wales, was on an 80 mile front.
Mr. Lang is also an inventor, but he says that inventing does not seem to be a profitable occupation. His most promising invention is a machine for raising scaffolding. He has also used his ingenuity to produce a nail stripper for cases, a press for nailing down cases, a window lift to operate windows when the sash cord breaks, and a frying pan steamer. In addition he goes in for oil painting and drawing.
The list of his occupations is: —
Storekeeper, farm hand, stone cracker, fruit packer, green man, scrub clearer, tree planter, bread deliverer, orange packer, case maker, shed hand (dried fruits), drover, clerk, sawyer, butter worker, boundary rider, dam sinker, gardener, building carpenter, coffin maker, grave digger, boat builder, hotel yardman, waiter, miner, navvy, bag sewer (wheat), road maker, wheat carter, cabinet maker, sewing machine salesman, confectionery worker. show card writer, show demonstrator, commercial traveller, canvasser, electric sign maker, opossum trapper, apple picker, nailer and wirer of cases, patent medicine manufacturer, motor driver, mechanic, painter, paperhanger, pipe fitter, mason's, laborer, bird trapper, galley boy, poker worker, tree pruner, motor body builder, wholesale fruit buyer, skin, wool and hide buyer, prospector, lamb marker, window dresser, fly catcher manufacturer, wireless manufacturer, jockey (amateur), french polisher, inventor, small goods delivery, and he has also worked at hooping (case) and theatre furnishing.
We don't know for sure whether the Fred Lang who built the caravan is one and the same as the Fred Lang in the article discovered by DC3Td. However, Sweetascandy reported that Fred Lang the caravan builder was also a boat builder, and we know that the Fred Lang in the newspaper article claimed to be a boat builder (amongst many other things!). It would also appear from the list of his occupations or jobs, that the Fred Lang in the article was willing to turn his hand to many things and liked to move around, so could well have turned his hand to building a caravan for his own use.
As indicated, the article in the Adelaide Mail was published in January 1933, at which point that Fred Lang was reported to be 32. That means if the same man built Sweetascandy's van in 1963, he would have been 62 years old - quite feasible. Unfortunately we don't know in which state Sweetascandy found her van, and we don't know where the Fred Lang of the article ended up. But it would be nice to think that one day we will be able to find out if it's the same Fred Lang.
Whether or not we can find out who Fred Lang the caravan builder was, I've always thought that his van is particularly pretty.
Don Ricardo