Vintage Glen Caravan Restored

Is this the last surviving Glen caravan?

Hobart couple Genevieve Lilley and Kingsley Wallman were behind the restoration of a rare Glen caravan built in 1941.  Genevieve tells the story of how they saved this remarkable van; once owned by a famous author.

BEFORE

AFTER

Genevieve saw the caravan for sale online in May  2008, for $367.  It was in bad shape and about to get worse.  Even though it had been stored in a shed by its original owners, the outside had still deteriorated badly.  The chassis was very rusty, the tyres were rotten, and the whole thing was effectively held together by the original cabinetry.

After the purchase, Genevieve and Kingsley realised moving Glen from Victoria to Sydney was going to be hard work.  It wasn’t registered and couldn’t be before it was restored.  After being declined by shipping companies, the couple went online to the Vintage Caravan forum.  The response was fantastic. Everyone agreed they didn’t know of any remaining Glen Caravans and even sent Genevieve the original advertisement.  One of the members was a fantastically talented builder and caravan restorer, Richard Potter, and he volunteered to bring it up the highway.  He then rebuilt it in his back shed over the next 18 months.

Genevieve describes the reno rescue as a crazy labour of love, especially for Richard.  Her tips are to draw on other people’s experiences and expertise, go to some of the vintage van weekends, and find some of the like-minded loons.

For the full story and pictures, see Issue 21 of ROAM