Robin was keen to learn the trade and remembers walking home from school to the fac.tory, where he could be found watching and learning from the age of eight. Back at home, he began construction of a family caravan.įrank started construction in October and the 'van was ready for the family's Christmas holidays that year, at Opal Springs, near the Waikato town of Matamata. In 1951 he took the whole family, hired a caravan, and drove the return trip from Sydney to Adelaide. Every three years Frank had returned home to Sydney to visit his family. Both companies had their chassis made in Marton and we'd pick up three or five at a time."įrank's initial interest in caravans can be traced back to his Australian upbringing. Initially he took their overflow work building commercial vehicles like pie carts, dental clinics, and circus accommodation and it went on from there.
Robin recalls, "Dad always maintained a great relationship with the two Hurst brothers who started Classic Caravans. Along the way it incorporated Classic Caravans - the Levin company with which it had always maintained a friendly rivalry.
It took the company more than four years to recover from the sting of the tax. I think the stress killed him and several others of our former employees, who were also in the grave ahead of their time." "I later learnt from my mother that Dad had worked all day and half the night to keep up with the workload. Robin believes stress hastened his father's death. Frank returned from retirement to take over the administration from Robin who donned overalls and went back to the shop floor. Only Robin and the factory manager stayed on to complete orders. In the bleak days following, all staff were given notice. Almost overnight the orders for all but two caravans were cancelled. Throughout the 60s and 70s, the sale of recreational caravans had flourished along with the family's fortunes.īut all of this was to come crashing down at the stroke of a pen in May 1978, when the government of Robert Muldoon introduced the controversial sales tax on caravans. Levin was once the uncrowned capital of New Zealand caravan manufacturing, with four companies working out of the Horowhenua township.Īt the height of its operations in the early 1970s, when Robin Croot took over the role of general manager, Gipsy Caravans employed 28 people. This is, after all, not just a success story for the family, but also for the community. But still there's another unusual string to Gipsy Caravan's bow: small scale rentals at very reasonable prices, mostly for Levin families keen on a getaway. Wandering around the yard we encounter the various brands Gipsy represents, as well as second-hand traded vehicles, from well-regarded New Zealand manufacturers, such as TrailLite and LeisureLine. It has recently opened a Camec shop, and still builds or custom-builds the Gipsy Caravans around which it has forged its reputation. The company also repairs and rebuilds all makes and types of vehicles (motorhomes, buses, commercial vehicles, and caravans) for insurance, containment, or conversion. The two projects underscore the breadth of Gipsy Caravans' restoration work.
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By the time it is finished, the van will sport state-of-the-art appliances and be used as a green room for movie stars on set in New Zealand. In the workshop is a spare-no-expense project being undertaken by a client for whom money is clearly no object. Over the coming months it will be restored to original condition as a flagship for the company which has survived the storms and flourished. Tucked away in a far corner is a little black beauty - a vintage 'van from Gipsy's earliest days. Andrew takes us on a tour of the workshop, factory, and yard. Also working in the family business are brother David and sister Nicola. A decade later he joined the company started by his parents Frank and Laura and a dynasty was born.įast forward to 2013 and Andrew Croot is sitting at the desk formerly occupied by both his father and grandfather. When the first Gipsy Caravan rolled off the line in Levin in 1951, Robin Croot was knee-high to a grasshopper.
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