Hello ODK History Lovers

In researching vintage lawnmowers, many �discoveries� have been made by pure chance � a lucky find.
This is one of those lucky finds.

I was browsing through a 1945 newspaper when I came across a photo of a large garden, stately home
in the background, and an unidentified lawnmower in the foreground.

The headline read, � �Gilbulla� Red Cross Rehabilitation Farm�.

Like a true mower anorak or �mower spotter�, I thought this was one of those mowers that could never
be identified, because of poor newspaper print resolution. The usual suspects were Ransomes, Shanks,
Greens, Dennis � We would never know.

However, when I enlarged the photo I noticed two unusual features . . . or clues.
The first was the motor. The height of the engine was ridiculously high! Was this the air shroud for
a belt driven fan, used on large, early lawnmowers? Maybe �

Then I noticed the second feature � the catcher decal. I kept seeing . . . an Australian flag.
That could only mean one make � Scott Bonnar! But which one? No Scott Bonnar had that big an engine.
It made no sense. Here's what I saw:-

[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

There was a third clue, not coming from the photograph, but from the time and place:
it was wartime and �Gilbulla� was a �beautiful farm home� being used for a new purpose.

Then, in the dark corners of my memory, the penny dropped!
This was a very unusual lawnmower indeed!

TO BE CONTINUED . . .