Hello
ODK history lovers
In late
1957 a small classified advertisement appeared in the
Canberra Times.
About a decade ago, when I found this ad, I distinctly remember being baffled by it.
I mean, “DESIGNED by German specialists” …
Of course, the reference was to Pope’s first rotary lawnmower –
the
320-01 of
1957-58. This was a pretty radical machine for the
1950s, and a rare machine today. The 320-01 has been written
about on these great forums, and a
History Record is
HERE.Here’s a factory ad from the lawnmower’s introduction...
ODK’s Global Mod
Gadge gave me the much-needed ‘tip-off’ last year.
He directed me to an article about an important Australian motorcycle
designer,
Rex Patterson Tillbrook.I came to see that “DESIGNED by German specialists” was such a
red herring.
I mean that this way: -
Like the apparitions in Shakespeare’s
Macbeth, I came to see that “DESIGNED
by German specialists” was equivocal – a sort of
half-truth. TO BE CONTINUED …