Mervyn Victor Richardson invented the first 'Victa' rotary lawnmower in the 1950s.
A rotary blade lawn mower
The design was like other mowers of the time. Lawrence Hall, a boat engine builder, had invented a rotary blade lawn-mower in 1948. He called it the 'Mowhall' and he had mounted the blades onto a plough disc. A tin was used for a petrol tank, and he attached a boat motor, the blades, and the engine to a tubular steel frame.
An early model Victa mower
Richardson's Victa mower had blades mounted in a cylinder. But it was a lighter and more powerful mower than those that existed at the time. The mower was made for Mervyn Richardson's son, Garry, who had started a lawn-mowing- business to make money during his university holidays. The heavy mowers that he had to use made the job very hard. Later, Mervyn Richardson improved his design. He mounted the blades on a disc and fitted it to a light metal frame with four wheels. The machine was powered by a two-stroke petrol engine. It was the first rotary motor mower.
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Mervyn Victor Richardson
Mervyn Victor Richardson made the mowers in the garage of his home near Sydney, Australia. People came to the house everyday to order a mower that Richardson had named the 'Victa'.
Millions of Victa mowers have been sold in countries around the world.
