Time to Roam Magazine Issue 5 - October/November 2013 | Page 26

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features classic caravans

(top left) The folding caravan still in pieces before restoration. (right) Gwen (Propert) Nossiter, one of
many Propert descendants who take great pride in the family’s legacy. Time to Roam is very grateful
to Gwen and other members of the Propert family for their assistance in compiling this history and
sharing their amazing photographs.

meant the Gills now had a van they
could take to vintage caravan rallies.
“She was in really bad shape when we
brought her home. I took out 23 kilos of
metal bars and bolts which Bob had put in
over the years just to hold it together.”
When the restoration was completed,
Chris and Graham sent photos to Bob, the
proud former owner in Tamworth.
“He really loved the van and his family
said he kept the photos right by his bedside.
They were next to him when he passed away
earlier this year,” Chris said.
It’s obvious Chris and Graeme share Bob’s
affection for the Propert.
“I just love the shape of them. The design

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and the way they open up is amazing. The
bloke who designed them was a wizard,”
Graeme says.
What makes the Gill’s collection even
more special is the fact they tow the two
Aussie-made vans with two small Australian
made cars, both with interesting stories of
their own.
A rare Australian (Sydney) built 1964
Morris Major was actually Chris’s very
first car. She saved up the money
working in a Laurieton bank and
bought it around the same time she
started going out with Graham.
The Adelaide-made Chrysler Galant from
1976 was actually the last car bought by

Chris’s late grandmother.
Graeme and Christine get a lot of pleasure
touring Australia with a combination of all
four classic vehicles. Both cars are colour
co-ordinated with their matching partner
Propert. They also have a good collection of
caravan memorabilia from the era including
Propert kitchenware.
“If you’ve got it, use it I say. We’ve
gone as far as outback Queensland
with the Galant and all we’ve ever
had to replace is the fuel pump.”
“They always draw a crowd when we’re
travelling,” Graeme says, “Lucky the wife
and I aren’t as robust as we used to be,
otherwise we’d never get any privacy.”