Victa
Established 1952Invented in 1952 by Mervyn Victor Richardson, the Victa lawn mower was the first lightweight rotary mower. The first mower of this kind was Lawrence Hall’s ‘Mowhall’, which was demonstrated in 1948. This was not a very successful invention because it required two people to use it – one to push and one to pull. Richardson invented a mower that was cheaper, lighter and more powerful using household materials and a two stroke engine.
By 1953, demand for the mowers was so strong that Richardson gave up his job and became full-time manager of Victa Mowers Pty Ltd. In later years, the company was owned by GUD Holdings Limited, who sold the Victa Lawn Care business to American-based Briggs & Stratton in 2008. Victa still is an icon of Australian entrepreneurship.
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