Pittwater Life May 2019 Issue

News
A new awakening
for tired retro vans
Did you hear about the Englishman
and the Welshmen
who bought an old caravan?
It’s not as much of a joke as it
sounds, as the Brits are now
starting their own business on
the northern beaches bringing
tired old caravans to life.
Rob and Rich had been mates
for over a decade, when an idea
came to them a couple of years
ago. As Rob explains, it was a
perfect storm of conversations,
experiences and dreams.
“I was working in the media
in a management role, but was
always a fan of retro things and
making things. I had a thing
for Op Shops – I used to collect
second hand and antiquated
books, and old vinyl records,”
Rob said. “That extended into
retro ornaments and art; I just
liked the feel of old things.
Eventually I bought a cheap
mid-century chest of drawers
and repaired them, and I was
hooked on restoration.
“Rich had a painting and
decorating business and I
envied him the freedom he
seemed to have, and that he
spent his days being physical
and creative.”
Rich continues: “I’d seen
Rob’s efforts making furniture
and art and collecting retro
stuff online. I liked the idea of
us doing a project together. We
used to meet for coffee every
week for a chat and one Saturday
we were discussing Tiny
Living and the projects we’d
seen on Lifestyle TV.
“Then I saw an old caravan
advertised on Facebook for
$2000 and had a brainwave. Rob
and I took out a thousand bucks
each from the ATM, drove to the
Central Coast and bought this
old, battered van.”
Rob and Rich have restored
six vans over the past two years
and sold them all at a profit.
Often the vans are stripped
back completely and rebuilt –
new kitchen, bedroom and living
area – all styled in a modern
way with hints of vintage about
them.
The vans typically take
around three months to restore,
just working on Saturdays. For
Rob it provides a welcome relief
to sitting at a desk all week as
he embraces his “inner tradie”.
Both the Retro Van Lads enjoy
getting the radio blasting and
chatting as they work.
Up until now the vans have
been parked in driveways
and worked on when the sun
is out; now though, the boys
have rented warehouse space
and taken things up a level. As
Rich says, the demand seems
to be there for retro ‘tiny living’.
“We’ve sold all of the vans
within a week and people seem
to like the stylish vans we’re
creating,” he said. “We want
to see if we can do more vans,
working more often, and satisfy
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: Mates Rob (left) and Rich are building a reputation
for their top-quality caravan restorations across the northern beaches.
the demand for them. People
take them on holiday, but also
use them for AirBnB or just as a
spare room.”
Rob has his sights set on
even bigger projects, including
myriad custom/themed vans.
“We’d love to turn a caravan
into an old English pub! Bar,
chairs, tables and dart board.
Park it in the backyard and
have our own home away from
home.”
* More info Instagram: those_
retro_van_boys; 0422 219 300
(Rich), 0431 835 446 (Rob).
20 MAY 2019
The Local Voice Since 1991