Kennedy caravans (Glen Waverley, Vic)

[Franklin1]

KENNEDY CARAVANS

Manufactured by Frank Kennedy,
Cnr Ferntree Gully and Watson Roads, Glen Waverley, Vic

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Just putting some info here temporarily...

Hi John,
I too have seen that van. Its a Kennedy caravan made in Glen Waverley in the sixties.He only made 15 @16 footers in his backyard,this one has Zephyr tail lights and a small boot! Fantastic lookig van in its day! Its sad to see it rotting away. I know of an identical one in good nick not far from me but they wont part with it. ( they seem to think that if someone walks of the street and offers to buy then it must be worth muuuuuch more!)
Cheers
Hughdeani Apr 1, 2005

Hi Guys.
This is my first post, so I don't want to disagree, but. The van pictured is a 1962 Wayfarer. I had one. It has Zephyr tail lights on small fins & a boot. I will try & post a photo of the one I had & the advert in a magazine.
Rob J Apr 9, 2005

Hi Rob,
Yes your right,Kennedy vans were also sold as Wayfarer and Skyline,must have had badge engineering back then too! Fantastic photos though!
Later models sold as Kennedy didnt have the fins and boot.
Cheers
Hughdeani Apr 11, 2005
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Hi Exocet,
Glad to hear of another kennedy especially from Tassie. What can you tell me about them. I believe they were made in Tassie, and were bought out by sunliner and the moulds then destroyed. Thats about all I know so any more info you might have would be great.
Gemma
bradngem, Oct 8, 2007

Hi bradgem, i don't know where the kennedy's were built, the info other forum members told me that they thought they were built in Melbourne, ours is the model with the rear fins, double roof vents and factory wheel spats. I do know that ours was bought brand new by a Hobart couple, who then toured Australia on their honeymoon in it. We are the 3rd owners and it has always resided in Tassie, so maybe there is some truth in what you say. Apparently there is a gentleman that other forum members know, that is quite an expert on the history of these unique vans, so i am as interested as you to find out more about these vans, so goodluck!
exocet, Oct 9, 2007

Put all the rumours to rest.....Kennedy's were made in Victoria originally by Franklin......when they decided to cease production Mr. Kennedy an ex employee took over the production of them in his name.
Sunliner had nothing to do with the manufacture or destruction of KENNEDYS.
Humpty2 Oct 10, 2007

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[Thierry]

Just to add to the name list for the kennedy, the one we owned when i was a kid was called a clipper, there is a thread a while back showing pictures of the van back then in the late 60's.
Thierry

[Franklin1]

Possibly late 1950s (1958??) Kennedy caravan:



(source: posted by Mark T, May 3, 2006, on behalf of a guest. Guest says tail-light date suggests around the 1958 period.)

[Franklin1]

Photos of Kennedy caravan taken late 1960s:



(source: these are the photos that Thierry refers to in his post above. Originally posted Apr 27, 2007.)

[Franklin1]

1958 Kennedy caravan (see editorial note at the end of this post):



(source: posted by bradngem, Oct 9, 2007, who wrote: Hi Guys, Thought we would let you all know that we have just picked up a 1958 fibreglass Kennedy, that makes 3 Kennedys over here in the West.)

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On Nov 26, 2007, bradngem wrote: We are making progress with the Kennedy....
We have started to remove the old paint, and under the light blue stripe there was a dark blue stripe, and under the dark blue stripe is the original colour which is a terracotta/brown stripe with black pin stripe on each outside edge.

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Editorial note: Later information posted about Kennedy and Franklin Futura caravans has revealed that Bradngem's van is actually a Franklin caravan, not a Kennedy. In addition, Franklin only introduced the Futura model in 1963 or 1964, meaning that Bradngem's van can have been produced no earlier than those dates. Don Ricardo

[Franklin1]

Undated Kennedy caravan:



(source: posted by atouchofglass, Dec 15, 2007, who wrote: Just found a photo of this van it looks like a sunliner but is it?)

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reply by jailbarjuice: That is a Kennedy, the same as Will & Lynn's, & Tucki's, & quite a few more. They are around 1960, & are not as common as Sunliners.

[Don Ricardo]

Photograph of Jagster1957's Kennedy caravan showing Clipper logo, posted 27 April 2008


For more information and pics of this caravan see here

Comment regarding Kennedy caravans by Willyn, 29 April 2008:

"...they have been Marketed under 4 names Kennedy Franklin Skyline and Clipper..."

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Exocet on 1 May 2008:

"Hi Willlyn, you wrote " Marketed under 4 names, Kennedy, Franklin, Skyline and Clipper " Ours is a finned one but only has a Wayfarer badge, which has a special pattern moulded in the " fabuglass" for it. Does that make 5? Or does the Wayfarer belong to Franklin? Would love to know what others think.
Cheers Exocet"

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Willyn replied on 1 May 2008:

Gidday Exocet
The finned ones as far as Tucky and myself can ascertain were even rarer than the standard models such as ours
we have only heard of three
if there are more we would like to know about it
there is one in altona that is badged as a wayfarer perhaps that was the model we are not sure about that
Perhaps Franklin 1 may have some info or even Humpty
I have never seen one apart from the photos of them
we have heard that the standard model was under twenty made we are thinking that there was special orders for the fin and boot model
Will"

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Editorial note: Further information collected after the posts about this van indicates that this van is from the same mould as the Franklin Futura caravans, not the later Kennedy mould. Don Ricardo

[korongking]

Hi ,I have a 14 ft all glass van which has the name KORONG 14"
sign written front & back ,(MY name ;D) now I always thought it was a Skyline ,due to the adds in the 1967 Keith Winser Vans & Accessories book that I have ,they also show the same van under the Franklin name,no mention of Kennedy??
I think Korong was a van seller in Bendigo??
Anymore info would be appreciated.

Thank you.
KK

[firefighter]

Hi

Thought the Kennedy lovers might like this ad





f/f ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[willyn]

great find fire fighter

Where abouts did you source out the Kennedy ad
just about to put the chevy badge you sent me on the dash of the 36 chevy Thanks again All the best to you both
besst Regards

Will and Lyn

[firefighter]

Hi Will lyn

The Kennedy ad came out of caravanning in australia book by Gwen Haslar
Glad to see will you have the spare wheel door & the badge on the dash of the 36 chevy .....must be getting close to been finished by now
f/f ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[boblor]

Hi VVers
We found a Kennedy/Franklin last Sunday that appeared to have fibreglass upper cupboards, was only able to look thru. the window. The brow over the front and rear window appeared to be little shorter than others . Can anyone confirm these details .
A little history from my records July 1963 RACV The Royal Auto page 28 shows a Skyline 14' fibreglass for 785 pounds. Caravan and Touring Manual by KW 1963 the same.
1964 Caravan and Touring Manual shows 14' Franklin fibreglass van, and same for Skyline. 1966 Caravan Manual and Tourist Park Guide page 155 Franklin "Futura" 14' fibreglass is advertised in a Franklin advert. Caravan Manual and Tourist Park Guide 1969 page 225 advert for Kennedy Caravans "Fibreglass for 1969" a 14' unit. Same publication for 1970 page 261 Kennedy advert. "Victoria's only 14' fibreglass caravan and fully lined too" -- one piece unit.
Kennedy advert. page 11 1972 Caravan Buyers Manual - eleven layouts, 3-6 berth,tested over 10 years. 1973 Caravan Buyers Manual page 48 Kennedy advert. Only one size 14' Price $2175 weight 13 cwt. Dimension 14'x7'. I note the Wayfarer was featured in Aust. Motor Manual Nov. 1961 page 54.
I hope this info is of some help to those who may be seeking it .
Cheers boblor

[Don Ricardo]

Info posted by Bubbles64 on 22 January 2010:

Hi fellow Kennedy Van enthusiasts.
After purchasing a Kennedy Van in October last year I decided to see if I could find out any further information on Frank Kennedy and his own brand of vans.

Prior to xmas I did a mail out to every Kennedy in Glen Waverley and after some false starts , made contact with Ian , Franks Son.

Ian remembers his fathers business well , which was a caravan yard for the sale and hire of vans. Around the mid 60’s Frank commissioned his own range of fiberglass vans and produced between 2 and 4 a year until 1974. The chasses were built in Geelong and the fibreglass shells fitted at the yard. Customers could then custom order the fitouts that were installed by a local carpenter / cabint maker

One of the last vans made was a special order for an antarctic expedition. A orange fluorescent paint was added to the fiberglass shell mix for contrast against the snow and the wheel base was replaced with skids!

Who knows -its probably still down there for some intrepid vintage vanner to recover!!!! ;D

Ian believes that the finned van range was actually a fully imported van and that Frank only ever ordered two.

Following the death of his mother last year ( Frank died in 2002 ), Ian has been checking through some of the memorabilia and is confident of finding further information on the vans that will be of interest.

Will keep you posted,

Bubbles 64

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Bubbles,

Great piece of detective work you did there to find Frank Kennedy's son. As has often been said on the forum, we are rapidly losing the people who have direct information about the caravan manufacturers of the 40's, 50's and 60's, so it is important that we record their knowledge and experience where we can.

The information you posted about there only ever having been two finned Kennedys fits pretty well with the information posted by Willyn on 1 May 2008 (see Reply #6 above), who said that there were only three finned Kennedys.

The extraordinary thing is that I think we know where they all are! One is owned by Exocet (Tasmania), one is owned by someone in the western suburbs of Melbourne, and one is owned by a person who attended the Cora Lyn car show in 2008:







On balance it seems unlikely to me that we would know where all the finned vans are some 40+ years after they were produced, so I wonder if in fact there were a few more than two or three (while not suggesting that there were ever dozens of them). That's sheer speculation, of course, and contrary to what Frank's son told you.

I don't know where the van pictured in Reply #2 fits in, except that it isn't Exocet's van because of the Victorian rego plates. Perhaps it is the Cora Lyn van before a makeover, or perhaps it is a fourth example.

Regarding the Antarctic van - what a wonderful piece of information, and what a fantastic image to conjure with! I wonder if the Australian Antarctic Division can tell you anything? I reckon they might keep a photographic record of almost everything they do down there...

Don Ricardo

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Bubbles64 and anyone else who is interested,

Following my comment yesterday about the Kennedy caravan you mentioned was used in the Antarctic, I googled 'Australian Antarctic caravan'. To my surprise there were a number of links. Apparently caravans were used fairly extensively by the Australian Antarctic expeditioners, particularly in the 50's and 60's. Who would have thought, eh? Naturally they were either set up with skis or as barges to be towed across the ice. There is even one reference to a caravan being towed across the ice by a Ferguson tractor. Presumably the tractor was set up with caterpillar tracks.

Anyway, back to the Kennedy caravan. There is a link to an article in the Melbourne Age newspaper about a caravan containing scientific instruments being rescued after nearly being blown out to sea by a blizzard. It doesn't say what brand the caravan was (journalists were so sloppy in those days ;D ;D ;D), but the date was May 1965 which would possibly fit the timeframe for the Kennedy.

I can't find a way to copy and post the article, but you can find it here.

Don Ricardo

[Don Ricardo]

PM from Exocet:

Hi Don R, we have sent you an email of our Finned Kennedy...We were wondering whether you could post it on the site for us in the DHL section, ''for the record'' so to speak...

Note that Exocet's Kennedy is badged as a Wayfarer as discussed in the posts above.







































I'm always pleased to help out another V V'er, Exocet.

A couple of questions:

1. Are they car-type ashtrays attached to the top drawer between the beds?

2. What does the writing say on the tail fin?

Don Ricardo

[exocet]

Hi Don R, they are similar to car ashtrays, but are factory original on the van, obviously they were a top end van in their day, so each bed got there own ashtray and a light above each bed as well. The little badge was put there by second [previous] owner, it's a holden ''special'' badge....... must pull it off!

Exocet

[Don Ricardo]

The following photos of Hilldweller's New Zealand built Caravelle caravan were posted on 31 January 2011:

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On 31 January 2011 Boblor posted:

Hi All
I been into my files for Franklin /Kennedy and have located the following article, for my two bobs worth on this van.
Australian Motor Manual---April, 1967 --page 37 ---"Like a duck to water...."This 14' moulded fibreglass Caravelle is made in New Zealand by Sutton Mason and Co., who tested the van across Auckland harbour with an outboard motor. Caravelle features a dust and moisture-proof body, torsion bar suspension and flyscreens on every window, door and hatch. The van which weight131/2cwt., is similar to Australian-made fibreglass caravans."
The van in the photo appears to be the same as 'hilldweller's' featured above.
So there you have it from fibreglass headquarters.
Cheers boblor

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Comparison with the Kennedy caravans on this thread indicate that the Caravelle is identical in a number of respects to Kennedy vans. Two differences between the Caravelle and the Kennedys are that the Caravelle features a raised section on the roof which may have been to strengthen the roof panel, and that the Caravelle features one piece wrap around windows front and back.

Given the number of similarities between the Caravelle and Kennedy vans it seems unlikely that there was no link between the two, or that the two designs were developed independently.

If anyone knows about a possible link it would be great to hear about it.

Sutton Mason & Co Ltd of Mt Roskill, Auckland were producing fibreglass boats until recently and may still be in existence.

For more info about this van click here.

Don Ricardo

[richard]

Exocet's finned Kennedy/Wayfarer should be on it's way to Sydney in a couple of weeks - restoration thread has some questions.

I'd especially like to confirm the year before I register it.

[bobandjacqui]

G'day Kennedy Fans,

Good mate took these pics this week between Maryborough and Tiaro anybody know who ??





Cheers Bob

[bobandjacqui]

OK what about the tow car the Mighty Hilux ;D ;D ;D ;D

Cheers Bob

[shaneandsimoen]

Editorial note: This post by Shaneandsimeon and the related posts which follow were originally posted on the Sunliner thread on the understanding that the moulds pictured were for the Sunliners built in Geelong. Inspection revealed that they are Kennedy/Franklin moulds. Don Ricardo

Sunliners from Geelong.


Back in 2009, I wrote about a bloke I know, down here in Geelong who does fibreglassing. I was looking at the V/Van web site at work on Sunliners when he came into work. Saw the Sunliner and said that his dad ran a business building them here in Geelong, they made the whole van had a number of employees cabinet makers, etc.

He told me that he still had the mould and finally I have got around to having a look and take some photos of it. He they are, currently covered in dust.
The mould pictured is a 14 foot van; they also made 18foot vans that were single axle.

If you look at the mould you will see the join running length ways where the mould came apart after fibreglassing. The frame on the out side enabled it to rotate while fibreglassing.













Info from son of one of the partners.

During the course of company one bought the other share and then the son brought the business, unfortunately his father passed away early this year.


The company Filam, were two partners who did fibreglassing. Their factory took up a fairly large area of buildings and employed approx 22 people in its heyday. They made boats up to 20 feet in length, tractor cabins, agricultural tanks, caravans (plus Franklin hatches and wheel covers) and truck bodies.


In late 1972 Filam was bought by Franklin Caravans / Freighter Trucks, their equipment went to Ballarat. Couple of years latter someone got the mould off Franklin and asked his father to make a couple of fibreglass vans; they were then taken to the Antarctica. Best way to describe them was they were like an esky, bright orange, and 2 inch thick walls for insulation and on skids.


Shane

[tucky29]

hi shane,
this mold is not for a sunliner, it is a mold for the franklin/kennedy which is very interesting. if the mold is in good condition they should start producing again.they will sell, going by how much interest my kennedy got.
tucky

[griffin]

What a great find Just goes to show you never know what is lurking about in old sheds.

And bright orange vans on sleds for Antarctica there must be some photos of those about somewhere, we can only hope Anyone fancy a trip to recover one wonder what became of them

George

[Geoff & Jude]

Aug 19, 2011 12:21:42 GMT 10 griffin said:

And bright orange vans on sleds for Antarctica there must be some photos of those about somewhere, we can only hope Anyone fancy a trip to recover one wonder what became of them

George

had a look around and came up with this - bright orange sled van in antarctica that looks like an esky.

not much like a sunliner though.

click on the photo to supersize it.

geoff 'n jude