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Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 18, 2007 21:04:43 GMT 10
Don Caravans were produced by "Don" Caravans Co Pty Ltd between 1934 and the early 1960's. The company built its caravans in a factory located at 609-615 Neerim Road, Oakleigh, Victoria. The following photo shows the factory and staff, probably some time in the late 1940's. Also shown in the picture is a Model 140 caravan (14 ft, four berth). The next photo shows an area inside the factory. Note the person working inside the second van, who can be seen through the window: A late 1940's sales brochure records: "The firm of R. H. ROBINSON & SON was registered at the present address in 1923, and traded as Automobile and General Engineers for many years.
"The usual approach to trailer and caravan building is through experience in wood working. Realising in the early days of caravanning that safety and road-worthiness depended on correctly engineered design of chassis, coupling, etc., the proprietors of this firm applied their many years of automobile and general engineering experience to the production of a really good caravan.
"The growth of the trailer and caravan section of the business required the formation of the "DON" Caravan Co. Pty. Ltd., under the control of R. H. Robinson and two sons, R. D. and S. W. Robinson.
"Since 1934 this firm has steadily increased its output of caravans, and now has the largest factory in Australia devoted exclusively to the production of caravans. Over this period of years, an experienced staff has been built up, retaining only those tradesmen who can justify the title of craftsman, take pride in their work and sustain the reputation of the "DON" ........... Australia's Leading Caravan."
The "Don" Caravan was named after one of R H Robinson's sons, R Donald Robinson, who was responsible for the design of the caravans bearing his name. According to the sales brochure: "As pioneers in the caravan industry, the "DON" Caravan Company take pride in being the first to introduce many of the caravan specifications which have contributed to the safety and comfort of caravan users. Amongst their "firsts" are:- Full steel, electrically-welded chassis.
- Fabricated drop axle with high tensile steer spindles.
- Brace-operated parking jacks.
- Combined caster-wheel and jack.
- Patented folding step.
- Vacuum operated brakes.
- Battery-charging system wired from car.
- Aircraft principle of stressed-skin construction.
- Complete sealing against dust.
- "Dunlopillo" foamed latex cushions.
- Insulated walls and ceiling."
One of the features of Don caravan production was that a chassis would be allocated to a purchaser, and the purchaser was invited to call into the factory at any stage to see the progress on their caravan. (Source: original owners of Don serial no 461)
The following photograph is the earliest period picture of a Don caravan currently known, and was taken in 1938, four years after the company commenced production of caravans. The photo is titled "Woman standing beside a Rugby 6 cylinder motor car and Don caravan" and was taken at Drouin, Victoria by R McConchie. The van in question appears to be a 10 ft model: Source: Museum of Victoria 'Biggest Photo Album - Record No MM 003158 museumvictoria.com.au/bfa/view_single.asp?qNum=MM%20003158An article in Caravan World in 1993 featured a 12 ft Don caravan, serial no 30, built in 1936. The article also outlined the development and history of Don caravans: Source: Caravan World, November 1993, pp 20-22The current location of the Walsh's Don, serial no 30, is unknown. Any information regarding its whereabouts is welcome.The Roscoe's Don Cadet, also mentioned in the article, is now owned by Mark T and located in WA. As the article notes: "In their heyday Don Caravans employed up to 50 people painstakingly making about three vans a week, but when Franklin Caravans in Ballarat started using assembly-line mehtods to mass-produce up to 10 vans a week with just 20 people, the writing was on the wall for labour-intensive hand-finished caravans. Dons went off the market in the early 60's." (p 21) The new methods of production not only led to the closure of establised caravan manufacturers such as the Don Caravan Co Pty Ltd, but also to other small, localised caravan makers either closing their doors or changing to other products. See for example the history of Gason Caravans hereDon Ricardo
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Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 24, 2007 12:59:21 GMT 10
I have been fortunate enough to make contact with Lois and Graeme, the wife and son of the late Syd Robinson, members of the Robinson family who manufactured Don caravans. Syd was the younger son of R H Robinson and brother of Don. Syd’s family has provided me with photos of the Don factory, and last Saturday (26 January 2008) they also kindly arranged to show me around what was the Don factory building in Oakleigh. The Robinson family business started around 1915 when R H (Dick) Robinson established a garage and car dealership on the corner of Neerim and Dandenong Roasd, Oakleigh, which later became the site for the Don factory. The original business was known as the Oakleigh Junction Garage: At the point when this photo was taken (sometime during the 20’s??), Dick Robinson was an agent for Oakland, Fiat, Sunbeam, Rover and Ford cars. The photo also reveals that Dick had cars for hire “day or night”, and also carried out general automotive repairs and charged batteries. The following photo is taken a few years later (the late 20’s or early 30’s??): The Oakleigh Junction Garage was now operated by ‘R H Robinson & Son’ (see name painted on the top of the central curve of the front fascia). The ‘Son’ referred to was Don, who would go on to design the Don caravan. The Robinsons were now authorised dealers for Oldsmobile and Chevrolet cars, continued to provide hire cars and offered ‘free air’ to customers. Note the ‘Oldsmobile Six’ sign on the fascia under the Robinson’s name and the Shell petrol pump on the forecourt. The man in his shirt sleeves with his hand on the bonnet of the car in the middle of the photo is Dick Robinson. Some time in the years which followed – presumably after they began to manufacture Don caravans – the Robinsons replaced the original workshop with the factory shown in the following photo: This photo was taken in the late 30’s or very soon after WW II. At this point the building served a dual purpose. While the factory was used for the production of Don caravans, Dick Robinson continued to operate a car dealership – this time for Vauxhall and Bedford vehicles – undertook automotive engineering work and sold petrol (the latter evidenced by the petrol pumps). The Neerim and Dandenong Roads junction is actually a Y intersection. The road immediately in front of the factory is Neerim Road, while the road in the foreground is Dandenong Road. Syd’s wife remembers the Don workers pushing two caravans out of the factory each morning and positioning them on the grass verge between the two roads to promote the brand. By the late 1940’s when the next photo was taken, Dick Robinson had retired and the building was devoted solely to the production of caravans: All references to automotive engineering had gone from the building, and the petrol pumps had been removed, although Syd’s son remembers that when he was a boy, there were big steel plates on the forecourt where the pumps had been. The caravan in the photo is a Don 140 (14 ft model) and the utility in the photo was a 1946 Chevrolet belonging to the business. This is a close up of the Don Company staff drawn from the above photo. It is in fact a photograph of a photograph, which explains the apparent rise in the ground level towards the right hand side. However, it is possible to identify at least some of the staff in the front row. Working from left to right these are: (1) Unidentified engineer, (2) George Orwin (chief painter), (3) Gus Brown (carpenter) (4) Syd Robinson (sales and marketing manager), (5) R H (Dick) Robinson (father of Don and Syd), (6) Don Robinson (designer and director of company), (7) Queenie Robinson (Don’s wife), (8) Edith (office worker), (9) unidentified housekeeper, (10) Dave Wilson, the electrician who installed the electrical wiring in the caravans, and married to Don's sister. Although Dick Robinson had retired, he remained the figurehead of the family business. In reality, the business was run by Don. At the end of the 40's the company had 34 workers. The following photo may have been taken on the same day as the two photos immediately above or at a later time. However, it is interesting because it shows both a Don 120 (12 ft) and a Don 100 (10 ft) model caravan in front of the factory. To the left can be seen Don Robinson’s Holden FX sedan as well as the rear of the Chev ute. The Don factory building at the corner of Neerim and Dandenong Roads is still standing and for the last 25 years or so has been used as a carpet and flooring salesroom. The area roughly to the right of the flagpole has been added to the building in the intervening years. There are almost no signs left of the building having been used for the construction of caravans, but nevertheless it was interesting to walk through the building with Syd’s family as they pointed out where various parts of the production process occurred. ( Editorial note: The above photo was taken in February 2016 by Graeme Robinson, Syd's son, from a point close to where the 1940's photo was taken. Some of the original features of the building can still be seen. The main door for the Don factory is now the entrance to the carpet showroom, and the window to the left of the door is the same. This was the window to Syd's office during the Don era. The second smaller window further to the left in the 1940's photo has been replaced by a larger window, and the doorway on the left hand side of the 1940's photo has been closed up.) The yard at the back of the factory was larger in the Don days, and was where completed caravans waited to be picked up by their owners, but Syd’s son also remembers watching caravans being loaded on to a tray truck for delivery interstate. It used to fascinate him as the vans were pushed up on to the truck by hand on narrow ramps the width of the van tyres. The shed in the following photo replaced a house that stood beside the factory in the Robinsons’ time. The Robinsons took out an external wall of the lounge room of the house and used the lounge room as a place for carrying out work on vans brought in for repairs (as you do!). The vans were pushed up a ramp from the yard into the lounge room. The bedrooms in the house were used as a workroom by the lady who made the curtains and cushions for the vans. The house in Paddington Road next to the factory (the factory building is on the corner of Neerim and Paddington Roads as well as Neerim and Dandenong Roads!) was the residence of Dick Robinson and his family from the early 20’s until about 1947 when he moved to a house in Neerim Road. Subsequent to this, it became the home of Syd Robinson and his family until shortly before the factory closed in 1963 0r 1964. Several of the Robinson family members who were involved in the business also lived in houses within a stone’s throw of the factory. I would like to thank Syd’s family for taking me through the factory and sharing their memories of the “Don” Caravan Company. For further information about Syd Robinson see the 1993 Caravan World article reproduced in the post beginning this thread.Don Ricardo (Source: Early photos by courtesy of Syd Robinson’s family)
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Post by Don Ricardo on Nov 24, 2007 20:39:04 GMT 10
A list of currently existing Don caravans reported on the Vintage Caravans forum, compiled by Mark T and listed by serial number and year of manufacturer can be found at here
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 6, 2007 20:50:03 GMT 10
Front cover of Don brochure:(source: posted by kaybee, Nov 19, 2006)
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 6, 2007 20:56:13 GMT 10
1965 photos of a hired Don caravan:(source: posted by marshy74, Dec 3, 2006, who wrote: Here are a couple of photos from 1965 of my parent's honeymoon caravan. They hired it in Melbourne. Photos are from Cardinia Creek, east of Melbourne (now under a reservoir I believe). The car is an AustinA110 - 1957.) [comment by Franklin1: it is my assumption that this van is a Don. marshy74 didn't specify the brand. If I've got it wrong, let me know.]
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Post by Don Ricardo on Dec 8, 2007 22:48:09 GMT 10
The “DON” Caravan Co Pty Ltd began producing caravans in 1934 using a design by R Donald Robinson, son of the company’s founder. Don caravans are featuring in an exhibition called ‘Victorians on Vacation’ currently being presented (November 2007 to March 2008) by the State Library of Victoria. In on-line information accompanying the exhibition, Clare Williamson, the Library’s Exhibition Curator comments: “The Don Caravan was the first Australian-made and designed caravan. It was designed especially for local conditions…
“By 1937 Don was a household name featured in magazines such as Table Talk, which ran a special segment on the growing popularity of ‘Homes on Wheels’. The Don had the classic caravan shape, but with leadlight windows and flyscreens. Some models included a fold-down washbasin and bath. It was state-of-the-art caravanning for the time. By 1947 the Robinsons were building over 100 caravans a year.”[Source: slv.vic.gov.au/programs/exhibitions/kmg/2007/victorians_on_vacation/audio_tour/audio_tour_08.html]An early 1940's sales brochure in the State Library's collection proclaimed proudly of Don caravans: "This Amazing CARAVAN is built especially for This Amazing CONTINENT". The design introduced in 1934 was produced with only a few minor changes right through to 1956. However, there appear to have been some changes to the materials and construction methods after World War II. According to a late 40's sales brochure: "One of the main improvements in the post-war "DON" is the resin-bonded plywood used for the exterior covering. The manufacture of Bondwood in Australia was sponsored by the Government during the last war for defence purposes. Having fulfilled the exacting requirements of all the Services under extreme conditions, it is readily understood why Bondwood is now accepted as the ideal material for the construction of aircraft, all sizes of marine craft, houses and caravans. It is water-proof, borer-proof, rot-resisting, and is unaffected by weather or heat."The 1934-1956 series Don caravans were built in four models. It is unknown at this point whether all four models were produced from the beginning (but see below re the Model 121). The earliest photos (see the beginning of this thread) appear to be of a 10 ft and a 12 ft van. MODEL 140 – 14FT FOUR BERTHThe Model 140 was the flagship of the Don 1934-1956 series. The 140 featured a side galley with range hood and flue, a four-seat dinette at the front of the van, that folded down to make a double bed. At the rear a divan could slide down to make a second double bed. The 140 also featured a fold down wash-basin built into the wardrobe door, a bath, two water tanks and a gun/fishing rod locker that ran the full width of the front of the caravan. The floorplan and specifications of the Model 140 are shown below: This Model 140 belongs to forum member Don Ricardo. Serial number: 461 Build date: November 1949 More information about this caravan and its history can be found hereMODEL 120 – 12 FT FOUR BERTHThe original layout of the Model 120 featured a side galley, two single bunks at the front and a four-seat dinette at the rear which folded down to make a double bed. The floorplan and specifications of the Model 120 are shown below: This Model 120 belongs to forum members don257. Serial number: 257 Build date: Thought to be pre-WWII More information: This caravan was the subject of an amazing major restoration by its owners. Changes to the Model 120It appears that of all Don’s 1934-1956 series caravans, the Model 120 was subject to the most changes over the period it was in production. For example, Model 120’s produced in the mid-50’s incorporated the fold down handbasin from the Model 140: Mid-50’s Model 120’s also incorporated a ventilation hatch for the lower front bunk in the side wall of the caravan: Both of the above photos are of a Model 120 advertised on Ebay in January 2007. Serial number: 990 Build date: Approximately 1955 MODEL 121 – 12FT FOUR BERTHThe Model 121 caravan was a ‘utility’ version of the Model 120. The late 40’s Don sales brochure states: “This caravan was developed to meet a demand for a WELL-BUILT, UTILITY CARAVAN where de Luxe fittings such as ice chest, stainless-steel sink, etc., were not required.
“Six of this model were supplied to the Public Works Department in 1946, and after testing under extreme conditions, a large number have been built for this and other Government Departments on repeat orders. Several country Shire Councils, Farmers, Graziers, Contractors and various industrial organizations have proved this an IDEAL CARAVAN FOR TEMPORARY OR MOBILE ACCOMMODATION.”This seems to imply that the Model 121 was only introduced in the 1940’s after World War II. The Model 121 featured a very basic kitchen without stove alcove, ice box or pantry, two bunks at the front of the van, and two further bunks at the back. The dinette consisted of a folding table. Two people used the rear bunks as a seat, while the other two used folding chairs. It is unclear whether the folding chairs came with the caravan or were an optional extra. The floorplan and specifications of the Model 121 are shown below: The above photo of a Victorian Public Works Department Don 121 being towed by a Victorian red-plated (government) vehicle was taken at Mallacoota, Victoria in 1987. It is not known whether the PWD vans were produced with hatches in place of the normal windows, or whether this was a later modification. The grey paintwork was typical of PWD Dons. (Serial number and build date unknown.) MODEL 122 – 12 FT THREE BERTHSome 12 foot caravans were built in the mid-50’s using a different floorplan to the one shown for the Model 120 above. Instead of two bunks at the front, these vans had a two-seat dinette that could be folded down to make a single bed. Additionally, instead of the normal four-seat dinette at the back, the alternative floorplan used the divan arrangement from the Model 140 which could slide down to make a double bed. At some point these vans became known as the Model 122 (source K Winser, Australian Caravan and Touring Manual for 1957, page 82): The above photos were taken during a private viewing of a Model 120 produced very close to the end of the series run. Serial number: 1023 Build date: 1956 MODEL 100 – 10FT TWO BERTHThe Model 100 featured a front kitchenette and a rear divan that slid down to make a double bed. The table sat in front of the left-hand side of the divan, and folded against the side wall when not in use. The floorplan and specifications of the Model 100 are shown below: This Model 100 belongs to forum member Cadishak (Kevin & Elaine). Serial number: 261 Build date: Thought to be pre-WWII Additional information or corrections to the above are very welcome. Please feel free to PM or email me.
Don Ricardo
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Post by firefighter on Dec 20, 2007 19:11:00 GMT 10
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 25, 2007 17:00:34 GMT 10
1938 advertisement:(source: posted by ??)
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 25, 2007 17:01:56 GMT 10
1948 Don caravan:(source: posted by Mark T, ??)
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 25, 2007 17:03:13 GMT 10
1957 Don caravan:(source: posted by ??)
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Post by Franklin1 on Dec 25, 2007 17:12:44 GMT 10
1962 Don Cadet caravan:(source: posted by daggsey, Nov 24, 2007, who wrote: I spied this classic in beautiful downtown Bridgetown. ...I waited for the owner to appear......no luck, so left a card with our website. I couldn't locate a build number, but peering in through the windows, I could see that the current state of the van was that it appeared to be "unlived in", but certainly not beyond restoration. ...Being a Globetrooter/Valiant/Franklin owner, I struggled to know where I would even look for a build number on a Don.....no doubt Don Ricardo or Mark T will chastise me for being a Phillistine in this regard, but I certainly couldn't see any obvious numbers externally. ...How good is this!! The owner of this van has responded to me by email from my business card, and all will be revealed in the fullness of time as to it's history. ...Without stealing too much of the thunder from the owner who tells me he will put some info on the forum, I can tell you it is a 1962 model, registered in WA and was previously owned from new by the current owners' father-in-law. The other painful thing for me was that the van has been sitting in a shed in MY backyard, 22kms away, for the last 7 years. The bonus of course, is the fact that it has been at least in a shed. ---------------------------------------------------- reply by Don Ricardo: Well spotted Daggsey, I'm proud of you!! It is a Don Cadet - 12 ft by the look of it. Up to date the only Cadets we know are still in existence - at least as far as I am aware - are 15 footers. No doubt Mark T will be very excited to find that such a van lives in his very own back yard. Regarding the serial number - I think I can spy a little Don build number plate between the bottom right hand corner of the door and the wheel arch? If I am correct, that should show the serial number. Otherwise there should be another plate inside the van somewhere around the galley area. Hopefully the owner has been able to enlighten you on that score? ------------------------------------------------- a further reply from Don Ricardo: G'day everyone, Here's a query for Mark T, Daggsey and other WA V V'ers. The Cadet 12 Daggsey spotted the other day, and the ABBA Caravans Cadet 15 no 2369 were both first registered in WA around 1961/2. Based on a massive sample of 2 ;D I was wondering whether that suggests that there was a Don caravan distributorship set up in WA in the early 1960's? Have you seen or heard anything to suggest that?
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Post by Franklin1 on Apr 23, 2008 19:37:09 GMT 10
1952 advertisement for Don caravans:
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Post by Franklin1 on Apr 24, 2008 17:40:13 GMT 10
1953 photo of a Don caravan at Warrnambool, Victoria:(source: Motor Manual, July 1953, Page 244.) ---------------------------------------------------------- 1953 advertisement for Don caravans:
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Post by cobber on May 29, 2008 16:16:33 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on Aug 6, 2008 11:16:21 GMT 10
From the 1957 Caravan & Touring Manual showing the “Don” 150 priced @ £1385 And the “Don 150” & the “Cadet-Family” priced @£595 There was also still available, in 1957, the “Model 100” @ £745... “Model 120” @ £940.. Model 122” @ £880.... “Model 140” @ £1195. Cobber
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Post by cobber on Oct 14, 2008 14:54:58 GMT 10
By popular demand I submit this ad for "The Don" from the 1951 52 "Caravan & Touring Annual". It modestly mentions that they were established in 1923. Cobber.
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Post by firefighter on Nov 13, 2008 7:48:57 GMT 10
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Post by firefighter on May 17, 2009 20:18:05 GMT 10
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Post by Franklin1 on May 25, 2009 0:08:57 GMT 10
A 1945 classified advertisement announcing the resumption of business at the end of World War II... [National Library Australia - Melbourne "Argus" - 1945 09 08 23]
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2009 9:16:47 GMT 10
You are good Al ......very ..... very good .......luv your work Now, can you find out please what build No was the first 'post war Don' caravan off the assembley line ;D ;D Mark
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Post by Franklin1 on May 30, 2009 22:54:52 GMT 10
Hi Mark, I'll see what I can do for you...maybe in 2011 when the new NLA archives are totally completed In the meantime, let me divert your attention towards another "one-off" caravan for you to collect for a museum The following advertisement is from the Sydney archives in January 1961. The van had found its way from Melbourne to a Sydney caravan park. The advert doesn't specify which Melbourne Caravan Show it was built for, but let's assume it was the 1960 show... The one-and-only 'Don 160' ever built?? cheers, Al.
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Post by Don Ricardo on Jul 28, 2009 23:01:34 GMT 10
PAINTWORK FOR THE 1934-1956 SERIES DON CARAVANS - UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2017Pre-WW2 caravansThe external paintwork of the first Don caravan produced in 1934 consisted of a light colour on the top half and a dark colour on the bottom half. It is uncertain what colours were actually used on this van, but based on later history it seems likely that the lighter colour was cream. Some of the Don caravans produced in the early years seem to have been painted in what later became the exclusive Don livery - cream with green trim (see the pictures of Don no. 30 in the post which begins this thread). However a number of other Dons continued to be painted with a light coloured top half and a dark coloured bottom half, as indicated by the Museum of Victoria's photo shown in the first post on this thread and the 1938 advertisement shown in Reply #7. The following picture, originally posted by forum contributor Jim on 2 April 2005, shows what these vans may have looked like, although there is no information about whether the particular caravan shown was a pre-WW2 van or whether the paint colours are faithful to the original on the van: The colour of the internal paintwork on pre-WW2 Don caravans is uncertain, however any photos which show a glimpse of the inside of the vans seem to indicate that they were painted in the light colour used for the external paintwork, most probably cream. Post-WW2 caravansAccording to members of the Robinson family who were involved in the Don Caravans business, all post-WW2 1934-1956 series Dons were painted in what became the company livery: External: cream body with green trim on beading, green undercarriage and draw bar, and cream wheels (possibly with a green pinstripe). Roof: Dulux Silvasheen enamel (not silver frost) - see further information below. Internal: cream with green kick strip This colour scheme is illustrated by the following Don 100 (owned at one point by Mark T). Note however that the green paint around the wheel arch is not typical of the normal Don livery. Other examples of this livery can be seen in earlier posts on this thread. The only exceptions to post-WW2 Dons being painted in this colour scheme were the commercial vans which were painted battle ship grey. Matching paint for restoration - Updated September 2017To provide a guide for V V'ers restoring post-War Don caravans, the paintwork on a cupboard door from Don no. 461 (built in 1949) has been analysed. The internal paintwork in this caravan is original. The analysis and matching was made using Dulux oil-based paint because that was the brand and type of paint originally used by Don Caravans. It should should be noted that there are a couple of issues in analysing the paint tones from this van: (1) The paint on the cupboard door is 60 years old, and may/will have changed colour a little over time - probably darkened - even though it has not been subject to direct sunlight. (2) The paint is gloss which makes it a little hard for the paint analysis equipment to 'read'. With this in mind, the results are as follows: Cream paint:Dulux Super Enamel Tint Formula Vivid White base (2 litres) B 0.25 EE 121.00 LL 6.00 M 12.00 G 11.00This is quite a deep cream colour. Green paintThe green paint was harder to analyse for several reasons, and therefore a match was partly made using various colour charts. On this basis the match is: Dulux A245 Equatorial Forest UDThe barcode for this paint is: 9 335132 022424This is a current Dulux paint colour but is virtually indistinguishable from the original Don paint colour. Silver [roof] paint:As noted above, the external roof of 1934-1956 Don caravans were painted with Dulux Silvasheen, which was an aluminium enamel paint (not silver frost). Silvasheen is no longer available, but a very good alternative is provided by: Dulux Industrial Metalshield - Industrial AluminiumThe purpose of using an aluminium enamel was to provide a reflective surface which would help to insulate the caravan. Metalshield Industrial Aluminium was apparently developed to paint grain silos in Queensland that also required some insulation from heat. Like Silvasheen, the Metalshield Industrial Aluminium has flakes of aluminium suspended in the paint and looks almost identical to Silvasheen. Disclaimer: This information has been posted upon request from several forum members who are restoring 1934-1956 series Don caravans. It is not intended to be a criticism, direct or indirect, of Don caravan owners who have chosen to paint their vans in non-original colours.Don Ricardo
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Post by humpyboy on Dec 2, 2010 19:35:00 GMT 10
Was handed this last night, nothing overly interesting but thought it worth posting anyhow. Copied from The ROYALAUTO Journal, September, 1956 Text is hard to read but this is what it says under the Don Cadet. For safe trouble free caravaning at moderate cost... the brilliant new "DON" Cadet... introduced earlier this year and already sweeping the low-price sales field! The 4-berth Cadet is fully furnished, and completely equipped. It has been designed with the experience gained in over 20 years building of caravans, and is fully guaranteed- as are all "DON" models Price, only 595 pounds. And written under the other. The outstanding caravan at the 1956 Motor Show combines BIG caravan comfort with the easy-to-tow qualities of a light caravan. The 'DON' 150 is splendidly appointed, with gas stove, gas refridgerator, fluoresent lighting, and has two single beds and one double bed. The 150 is built to last, combining rugged strength with amazing lightness- ideal to live in or for extended touring. Price, 1,385 pounds (terms available) call in and inspect the range of 'DON' models - there's one to suit your purse and purpose at the 'DON' Caravan Company Pty. Ltd. 607-615 Neerim Road, Oakleigh Victoria. Phone UM 1041. Open for inspection on Saturdays till 5 p.m. or evenings by appointment. FREE: Send for free catalogue. Tell us of your requirements and we will be pleased to advise you.
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Post by firefighter on Dec 5, 2010 15:59:46 GMT 10
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Post by Don Ricardo on Mar 20, 2011 15:49:59 GMT 10
Hi all, In 1938, R H (Dick) Robinson and Elsie Robinson - father and mother of Don Robinson, the designer and builder of Don caravans - took one of his son's caravans on a trip from Melbourne to North Queensland, a distance of around 6,000 kms as the crow flies - more if they took the coast road, which I think they did. They were accompanied by three other couples with caravans. The following article from the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin of Saturday, 16 July 1938 (p 6), records the arrival of the party in Rockhampton: (Source: National Library of Australia nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55982559 ) Dick Robinson was a keen amateur movie maker and recorded their journey in film. Don257 (Doug & Vicki), Dona Ricardo and I have been privileged enough to see the film, which demonstrates that a trip like that in the 30's was a pretty epic journey indeed. My parents told me that Dick Robinson had extensively tested Don caravans for durability, dust tightness, etc, and I think what they told me was probably largely based on this 1938 trek. Don Ricardo
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