Pooky?

[damoj]

Hi Folks

I posted this some time ago and haven't had an answer but I'm hoping some new member might know something about our Pooky (that's it's actual manufacturer given name, in relief on the front and rear.)
We have a Pooky .. build date unknown but possibly 1981 or older.  It's 14ft The van was built by Turner Boat Builders in Rhodesia. Does anyone else have one?
As a starter for the reno I need to know about the under floor frame as it's sunk at the rear. The Pooky underneath has the framework completely enclosed so you can't just climb below and check it out.
Would love to be in contact with anyone who knows anything about them.

Previous owner pretty well gutted it and put in a false floor. I took the false floor up and there's teak decking ply ala boat ply underneath. Very nice
Cheers

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Damoj,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for telling us about your Pooky van.

I can’t find any other mention of a Pooky van on the forum, but I fancy I’ve seen one somewhere, maybe Facebook. Could it have been yours? Have you posted on Facebook?

As you may be aware, this forum is focused on Australian vintage caravans. We have had a few people telling us about their African built caravans, but they have been based in Zimbabwe, South Africa or Europe. I don’t think many African built vans have made their way to Australia, if any.

Are you based in Australia, or are you in Zimbabwe? If you’re in Australia, do you know how your van arrived here?

(If you are based in Zimbabwe, there’s no problem with you being a member of the forum. We enjoy hearing from people around the world who have an interest in vintage caravans, so please do tell us more about your Pooky.)

Don Ricardo

[Don Ricardo]

Hi all,

Back in June 2020 Damoj told us about his Pooky van built in Zimbabwe by Turner Yachts. We never established whether Damoj was located in Australia or Zimbabwe, but in May 2021 he updated his post (above) saying that he was still looking for info to assist him with his refurbishment, that may suggest he is located in Australia.

As it happens in November 2019 I had come across the photos of Damoj’s Pooky van. I think that probably adds strength to the theory that both Damoj and the Pooky are located in Australia since I don’t frequent Zimbabwean vintage caravan sites! The photos are below:




















(Source unknown)

If anyone has any advice for Damoj he may still be looking for assistance.

Don Ricardo

[shesgotthelook]

Hi Don Ricardo, the number plates on the car & trailer are not Australian. I'm guessing South Africa. Also, the 'Under Permit' sign is not an Aussie thing either. Cheers, SGTL

[Don Ricardo]

Hi SGTL,

Thanks for pointing out the number plates - I hadn’t noticed those! I think they might indeed provide an answer to Damoj’s location - but I reckon it’s not Africa, it’s Western Australia!

WA has separate number plates for different country (ie rural) local authorities. The earlier local authority plates (prior to 1997) were black letters on yellow. So the plate ‘W-771’ on the utility is a Wagin number plate. The black and yellow local authority plates also had a big round dot between the letter and numbers like this one. The plate ‘WY-6144’ on the other vehicle is a Wyndham-East Kimberly number plate (or if it is actually ‘VP-6144’ it’s from Victoria Plains), but in the post-1997 style with black letters on white and a blue band along the top edge.

Not sure about the trailer with the six numbers, but I’m guessing it’s just a WA trailer plate (perhaps an older style). Not sure about the ‘Under Permit’ sign either. If you’re moving a van under permit you don’t have to show a number plate, but maybe the mover in this case was playing safe by putting up a sign?

Interesting what you find out when you go looking, but once you’d pointed the plates out I recognised the Wagin plate - I’ve driven around the southwest a bit for work.

As you are probably aware, a lot of Zimbabwean people migrated to WA, so that may explain how the Pooky got there - cabin luggage…

Don Ricardo