PART TWO – Backstory
‘Tijou’ is not a common surname in Australia,
and I feel I have found enough records to
speculate how this early Victa dealership
came to be.

My best guess is that the Tijou family was involved
with hardware from the late 19th century.

The first post WWII records show that Ray’s Father,
Arthur Glenn Henry Tijou, “Harry”, served in the Second
World War and, post war, ran a hardware store at 191
Glenferrie Road, Glenferrie [now Malvern].

My best guess is that Ray worked there as his first job.

Only Son, Raymond, appears to have started a mower
repair shop in 1952 at 5 Frederick Street, Hawthorn.
That would have been about 5km from father’s
hardware store.

[Linked Image]

There is evidence that Ray was selling
reconditioned mowers and chainsaws from the
Frederick Street business, but no new lawnmowers.

That would all change with Ray’s move to new premises
at 440 Burwood Road, Hawthorne. My best guess is that
this move occurred in about the second half of 1954.

The first ad I have is a classified employment advertisement …

[Linked Image]

TO BE CONTINUED …