I think there is allot to be said in this, as for some reason, there does seem to be a push from some folk toward a line of thinking that says "Victa is an Aussie Icon, therefore to question the legend is to attack the company, and the country"
I myself, do not hold this View, I am a Victa guy, I love the mowers, I love the story, I love the history, but I don't see why that means I can't delve to find the full truth of the matter.
And the further I dig, the more I find that highlights the amount of legend that surounds Victa.
By the time the Victa "Peach Tin" was created in 1952, there is clear evidence that the following things had happned already:
-The rotary Mower Concept had been patented as early as 1928
-The Petrol Rotary Mower Had been patented as early as 1929
-Rotoscythe were advertising Petrol Rotary's internationally as early as 1937
-A Petrol Powered, Vertical Crank Shaft, Self Propelled, Rear Catcher Rotary Rotoscythe Mower had been photographed in an Australian Newspaper, as early as 1946.
-Technico made Lightweight electric rotary mowers, in australia, as early as 1948.
The only possibility i can see for there being, from a technical standpoint, something "New" about the Peach tin is this:
It coupled the concepts of the vertical engined petrol rotary mower (Such as the rotoscythe) with the light weight and ease of use of the rotary electrics.
Aside from that, it all seems to come down to a genius for marketing!
Further, for some reason, a lot of people seem to have issue counting electric mowers in the history of the rotary mower. to an extent I get this, as a collector, I have no interest in them, they really just don't capture anything in me.
However, that does not remove them from the history of the rotary mower, they are part of the story, they are part of the development, and as indicated by the term "Rotary Mower" only two requirements need to be met to be a rotary mower, Rotary, and Mower!
So yes, this is important, very important, it helps show how mowers developed here in australia, and it helps show what was around when Victa started, giving us a clear view on what it was that sparked an Icon.
