Time to Roam Magazine Issue 7 - February/March 2014 | Page 25

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upfront feature

THE DON
TURNS 80

ART DECO
CLASSIC STILL
REIGNS SUPREME
2014 is the 80th anniversary of the
birth of The Don – one of Australia’s
first popular trade-built caravans.
In modern internet slang, ‘The Don’ simply means
‘The Best’. It’s an appropriate title for what could well claim
the title of Australia’s ‘all time great’ vintage caravan.
The van take its name from its creator, Don Robinson, who grew
up in his father’s business, ‘The Oakleigh Junction Garage’ on
the busy Dandenong Road in Melbourne’s east. R.H Robinson,
or ‘Dick’ as he was known, had been running the business
since 1915, selling and servicing popular makes of cars.
On weekends, Dick and his sons Don and Syd enjoyed
camping and fishing. Legend has it that eldest son
Don had a dream of building something a little more
comfortable for his father to relax in on fishing trips.
There were few other commercial caravans at the time to copy ideas
from and Don came up with a unique look, borrowing much from the
slick 1930s streamlined motoring trends and art deco building designs.
Before Dick’s fishing retreat was even finished, a businessman
by the name of E.L. Gates walked through the Oakleigh
garage door, liked what he saw and offered to buy it.
Don put a price of 195 pounds on it, hoping to dissuade Mr
Gates from buying. This is roughly equivalent to the annual wages
> continued page 26

Issue 07 Feb/Mar 2014

25