Don Caravan factory - photos

[Don Ricardo]

G'day everyone,

My Australia Day afternoon consisted of a tour of the old Don factory building in Oakleigh with members of the Robinson family who manufactured the vans. It was a fascinating time. Not too much technical information, but lots of history and reminiscences.

They were also able to provide me with a number of photos of the Don factory. This is a sample:



For those of you that are interested, I've added a number of photos and pieces of historical information to my post on the Don factory under the Don Caravan history thread (see Reply #1):

vintagecaravans.proboards30.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=chat&thread=1195383883&page=1

I know not everyone enjoys the historical side of the V V forum, but I hope that at least a few folk will be interested.

Don Ricardo

[firefighter]

hi don

history love it
old photos love them
thanks for spending your australia day holiday chasing up don caravan history for the forum members
i will talk to kevin to see if i can get you an australian day award next year
well done
f/f ;D ;D ;D ;D

[cobber]

G'day Don,

I hope (I know) you realize that I think the gathering of information regarding the history of our caravan industry is a very..very important part of the things this web site does for the preservation of our touring heritage.

I hope you have not been getting a rough time from anybody unable to appreciate the “Down History Lane” part of this web site, if so... ignore them and continue with the good work ;D.

Cobber.

[Deleted]

Hi Don
Thanks for the photos...
Priceless ;D ;D ;D

Keep up the good work .

Reddo

[exocet]

Hi Don R , i agree with Cobber, the history is INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT on this VV forum, because until now nobody has really taken a serious interest in old caravans, individually we, who have these old vans have of course, but not in a collective way like this, and personally i find it one of the more interesting sections of this forum. Keep up the excellent work!


Cheers Exocet

[Deleted]

good work Don R .......great pics, and great facts of great historical info

Next on the "Don list of things to do" is to track down No 30 (or 36?) as feartured in the Caravan World 1993 edition mag .....that caravan is the oldest known surviving "Don" .....
if it still survives

Mark

PS .....don't spose you asked the Robinsons for the register that recorded all the build Nos and caravan completion (or sale) dates ;D ;D

[Don Ricardo]

Hi Mark,

Glad you liked the pics. I was very excited when they were offered to me to copy!!

Funny you should ask about a list of Don serial numbers and sale dates. Got a box of tissues ready?

Syd's son told me that up until the last time Syd and his wife moved house (around 1993) Syd had kept a box of cards which listed every Don made and the details of the purchasers. He took them with him each time he moved house (three or four times after the company closed its doors). At the time of the last move, the family discussed the cards. Syd offered them to his son, but his son wasn't interested in keeping them and they decided that the cards would never be of value to anyone, so they were thrown out...

Imagine what a great resource those cards would have been. At the same time, I can understand the decision that was made. Many of us hoard stuff which we eventually have to make a hard decision about, and in 1993 Syd probably never dreamed that there would be a whole bunch of people around Australia who would become fanatical about old caravans. In addition the winding up of the Don company was a pretty painful event for the family for one reason and another, and the cards were possibly even a reminder of memories best left forgotten.

Syd died in 1999, so wasn't around to see the birth of www.vintagecaravans.com. I forgot to ask when Don died but will find out.

Let me know if you need another box of tissues.

Don Ricardo

By the way - I probably should explain that I have deliberately not identified Syd's family by name at this point for privacy reasons. They are not internet or computer users and I feel it would be unfair to blast their names all over cyberspace when they are not familiar with the medium and are unaware of the consequences.

[Deleted]

now, where's those anti depressants ;D ;D ;D

[dosse]

G'day Don Ricardo
Its just great that both you and the Robinson family gave the time to this outing to tell us all things we did not know about the history of the Don Vans, thank-you.
Regards dosse.