Hello Paradox

That's a decent question there.
Yes, it would appear that the SA Thebarton factory was closed by the
end of the 1982-83 Financial Year, moving all production to Fison Avenue,
Brisbane, the home of Rover Mowers. This article is from SMH 30/11/1983.

[Linked Image]

That is fantastic information - that you have a 'Kermit 45' with receipt
dated to 1992!

It appears to be an unanswered question when the Kermits were introduced.
We have a 1984 brochure still advertising the older SB hammertome scheme.

My take on this is that the Kermit colour was introduced in about the
mid-1980s. I speculate that the Rover takeover of SB in 1980 enabled
Rover to stockpile sufficient quantities of Adelaide machines for a period
after the SA closure of mid-1983.

The Green colour was introduced and done, I believe, by the powder-coat process.
Rover had introduced this new plant at their Brisbane factory in about 1980.
I speculate that that process cannot produce the hammertone finish...?
... Meaning that Rover stuck with a green colour to differentiate SB from
Rover's own colour scheme (and still use the SB name).

At some point (we now know this was after 1992) Rover changed the scheme
in favour of full-integration with the Rover branding. The machine became a
Rover 45.

I guess the last 45 was manufactured close to the closure of the Brisbane
factory on the 1st of April, 2007. The Rover Parts List I have shows revisions
right up to the end of 2005, suggesting that the last 45s were made close
to the Brisbane closure. The end of two AUS icons was now assured.

The rest is history.
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Jack