KENTVILLE, NOVA SCOTIA
AUGUST 1955, FIFTY YEARS LATER




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If you have any objection to history, travel trailers, or ritual,
please fast forward to the next post.



John and Esther Dona's
1955 Airstream Bubble




Dale "PeeWee" Schwamborn
and Caroline McNamara Zimmer


The first and oldest RV travel club, the WBCCI, was established on the grounds of the Palmeter's China Shop in Kentville, Nova Scotia in August, 1955. Although named the Wally Byam Caravan Club, that is a misnomer. Mr. Byam, as founder of the Airstream Trailer Company, had established a blueprint, but in actuality, the club was constructed, developed, and nurtured for thirty years by his 'little cousin', the diminutive 5'2", Helen Byam Schwamborn. Helen had left a position with the Bakersfield, Ca., probation office to serve as a secretary and personal assistant to her
older cousin Wally. There was no term, 'glass ceiling' then, or Helen would have been a rooftop of crystal goblets.









A small portion of the dignitaries.
No one fell into the frog pond.









The page from Helen's diary describing
the club's founding and her lunch
that day with Mr. Palmeter.









Today, August 17, 2005, nearly three hundred of the most loyal members gathered together on the same lawn that Helen had described in her 1955 diary. Led by James Hadaway, a former club president and formidable prime mover for re-enacting this golden caravan, the faithful watched as a plaque commemorating the founding was unveiled.

The usual unfolded, the prayer, dignitaries were introduced, some resplendent in colorful blazers, berets, vests with pins, badges, and embroidered patches, all one would assume signifying their importance, then receiving the compulsory applause after offering platitudes to the assembly. But the day belonged to Dale "PeeWee" Schwamborn, Helen's son, and Caroline McNamara Zimmer, both survivors of the 1955 caravan. Then at ages 16 and 12, respectively, they recounted the visit to Kentville. For Dale and all of us listening it was very emotional as he had lost his mother only recently, in the summer of 2004 at the age of 93.
Addendum: Helen was born in 1904 and died in 2004 at the age of 99.
She was quick to point out that she was in the 100th year of her life. Thanks to PeeWee for correcting my error. Chas.
He was able to display an original pennant, which he had been in charge of selling back then, his mother's personal diary from the trip, and with great difficulty read letters and telegrams his mother had received. There were few dry eyes in the crowd.



No event is complete without dessert.
Or several. The nice people from the Canadian unit provided the hospitality.






It was a poignant moment when Caroline turned toward the old mansion, looked upward, smiled, and said, " yes, I remember this place"....recalling how as a twelve year old, now looking through the eyes of a sixty-two year old, still cherished those halcyon days of her youth. Good stuff.

There is little doubt that without Helen Byam Schwamborn, the club would never have passed the embryionic stage, the Airstream company would never have survived the RV industry crash in the early 80s, and none, let me repeat, none of us would have been on that lawn today, a gorgeous afternoon in rural Nova Scotia.



A favorite couple for most,
Buzz and Carol Wallen, on leave
from the Villages, in Florida.






The elegant Esther Dona welcoming
guests to her open house.












For me as a newcomer, and really, an outsider looking in, I felt honored just to be on those grounds today. I hope that everyone who ever contributed to this club, either by participation in rallies, caravans, or unit activities, could be with us vicariously and in spirit. A day to remember.

Next stop, Prince Edward Island