THE ORIGINS of the 14" VICTA REEL MOWER

It is totally enigmatic - and so important to vintage mower history.
The Powerhouse Museum holds the Richardson archive (donated by family) and it
references that about sixty of these machines were made. The Museum's
summary records that these were made between 1948 and 1952.

I don't think that is right. There is evidence that Richardson did 'tinker',
and I do have some good evidence that he converted a push mower to petrol power at
some point.

I speculate that Richardson did not develop the 14 inch till late 1950, with advertisements
appearing in early 1951, some two years before the first Victa rotary.

The most curious thing I have discovered is that, just before the first 14" advertisement,
Richardson advertised for sale a most interesting machine:-

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On 24 February, 1951, Richardson was selling a Second-hand Qualcast 16" in 'good order'.
On the 14 April, 1951, Richardson is seeking a more sophisticated lathe:-

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The Qualcast 16" machine was a pre-WWII design that was very popular. Both Australian-made
and fully imported machines were sold here from the 1930s to the 1950s.
What was Mervyn doing with one of these?:-

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TO BE CONTINUED...