A few announcements were made during the course of one of our tours that a participant was about to trade the van he was using. Just why it was being traded was perplexing because its virtues were being extolled frequently. This was some time back, when the ‘hole in the wall’ and plastic didn’t work in many of the places we were going to. A necessary evil was having to take a heap of notes to pay for any unanticipated bigger expenses. The due date came and the faithful caravan was shunted into the used section of the dealer’s yard. The following day this van’s ex-owner was in a state of high agitation apparently, and he wasn’t explaining why.
I think it was a Sunday, which meant that in those days there was no prospect of doing shopping in Qld. But as the sun rose on the morning when businesses were again open, our pal was in the car and making a beeline for the caravan yard, Philips plus blade screwdrivers in his pocket. His reunion with the old caravan was one of great joy. After "inspecting" it, he left with a small smile playing on his face and a roll of recovered banknotes that had been secreted in the waterproof light of the shower recess.
- Caravan World columnist Lloyd Junor spent over 25 years as
the owner-operator of Aussie Outback Tours. Lloyd owns Aussie Outback Publishing, which produces outback-themed titles including his own, comprehensive The Australian RV and Caravanner's Guide.