They say that good things happen to good people. Nothing proves this story more. Following the August collapse of Tango Caravans, an event that sent shockwaves through the caravan industry and wider caravanning public, Nova Caravans has brought a little light to a dark tale.
Last month, we brought you the story of Sylwia Logan who, along with her husband, were convinced by Tango to pay full price for their caravan, despite the van not yet being built. Instead, Sylwia says they were told that paying full price would expedite their van build. Weeks later, Tango went bust. Sylwia and her family had lost $76,000 plus the $14,000 interest on the personal loan that they would still have to repay. To make matters worse, Sylwia had returned to work to afford the loan, expecting that the time lost with her young children by returning to work would be made up for by family camping trips.
Our interview caught the eye of Nova Caravans owners Rob Cataldo and his wife, Louise, two people whose kindness can be measured by their actions. Upon watching our interview with Sylwia last month, Rob and Louise were incredibly saddened and felt moved into action.
“I watched the interview and sent it to Rob, and said there must be something we can do,” Louise said.
Rob agreed. “My heart went out to Sylwia, her husband and their two kids. I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”
Rob contacted us at GoRV with an amazing offer. Both he and Louise wanted to build Sylwia a van, free of charge. They weren’t in a position to help every Tango victim, but they felt they could help Sylwia – a gesture both generous and life-changing.
“We couldn’t stand on the sidelines,” Rob said. “What has happened is horrible. Buying a caravan is supposed to be exciting and rewarding. We wanted to do something to help them feel a little of that excitement after such a devastating experience.”
FEELINGS OF GUILT
When news of Tango’s demise hit, it was a gut-punch for dozens of people. Tango customers had paid large deposits, while some, including Sylwia, had paid the full amount on the understanding doing so would prioritise work on their van. Would all of these customers lose their money? Where did it all go? Reports of marriage breakdowns surfaced, while others spoke of the blow to their mental health.
Sylwia immediately began co-adminning the Facebook group, Tango Caravan Owners and Victims, as a place of mutual support for everyone who’d been affected. She had therefore heard terrible stories from all quarters. As such, when we shared the amazing news – that Nova wanted to build Sylwia a caravan – she immediately felt a sense of guilt.
“Why should things work out for me?” she asked. “There are lots of people suffering as a result of this.”
But sometimes, as Sylwia told herself, it’s okay to accept the kindness of strangers. And so, in mid October, I introduced her to the people who wanted so generously to help. In the Nova Caravans meeting room, Rob and Louise Cataldo met Sylwia with open arms.
As part of the discussion that followed, Rob emphasised a key piece of advice for future caravan purchasers: never pay full price for a new caravan without seeing it first.
Of course, that is a decision for which Sylwia and her husband have kicked themselves and argued over since. Ultimately, they concluded it wasn’t their fault.
Further, Rob and Louise Cataldo, and of course Sylwia, hope that this might spur other caravan manufacturers to step up to the plate in whatever way they can. There are other people still hurting, and Rob and Louise’s thoughts are with them, too.
“We wish we could help everyone,” Louise said. “But what we can do is help Sylwia and do what we can to encourage the industry to help too.”
A NEW NOVA REVIVOR
I asked Rob and Louise if they had a Nova model in mind for Sylwia and her family. It turned out, they did!
“We’d like to build her a Revivor,” Rob said. There was a nice resonance to it: he hoped this gesture would revive her faith, just a little.
The Revivor is one of Nova Caravans’ oldest and best-known models, and there are a few changes coming for 2025. For Rob and Louise, it seemed like the perfect van. With its structural Pro-Al sandwich panel walls, the excellent fit and finish for which Nova is known, a couple of bunks for the kids, an onboard bathroom, a full kitchen, a north-south queen-size bed and so much more, we have no doubt it will bring Sylwia and her family many years of happy memories.
On the day, Nova didn’t have a Revivor with that family layout to show her, but Rob and Louise did have a different van with essentially the same layout, and it was a heartwarming moment to see Sylwia take it in. Were there some hugs? Of course!
On a personal note, as someone who has observed the Australian caravan industry for many years, the actions of Nova Caravans – specifically Rob and Louise – represent the industry at its best. Nova has been named Manufacturer of the Year three times, not just because the Nova product is up there with the best of them, and not just because it has a professional team that strives for quality. But because the business has a heart, where the lives of other people matter, Nova Caravans shows it is worthy of its respected place in the industry and – most importantly – of the trust of its customers.
Here at GoRV, we wish nothing but the best for Sylwia and thank Nova Caravans for its compassion and generosity.
