The Millard Story
The history of Millard Caravans dates back to circa 1947 when Irishman Jim Darlington started building caravans in a small factory in Mortlake, a southern suburb of Sydney. Jim had two sons, John and a younger brother, Peter.
Around 1954 the business was moved to Wicks Road, North Road in Sydney and John Darlington took over the reigns under the guidance of his father Jim. Peter also joined the business, working as a carpenter and finally on to the executive team. John's wife May, was pertubed because the early Millard caravan range was limited to just two colours. She became involved in the interior decorating of the vans, introducing the homely touch in her choice of colours for full length curtains and other furnishings.
It appears the brand name Millard was introduced by John Darlington whose middle name was Millerd (with an "e"). A check of family history websites shows the Irish name to be interchangeable with Millard.
By the mid 1960's the Millard business had grown so big that a new factory was setup at Smithfield, an outer suburb of Sydney and by 1969, the factory employed 250 people and producing around 4,000 vans per year. Through a Dealer Network they marketed a range of 60 models from 13ft to 40ft.
Things have changed somewhat in the caravan manufacturing industry since 1947 but Millard is still going strong building top quality vans with skills gained from many years of experience.
Today they manufacture a range of vans starting with the affordable Sunseeker, rugged Breakaway, and 'top of the line' Grand, plus a range of vehicle slide-ons. Millard understands that not everybody has the same needs in a caravan, so plans can be drawn up for a custom layout for your dream van on request.
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