OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Personal Histories REX TILBROOK - A Blessing To Pope Products

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 …

PART TWO – Who Was Rex Tilbrook?



This is a bigger-than-life question…
The more I research Rex, the more I come to
appreciate his accomplishments. He was remarkable!

The starting point must be a seminal article written by
Jim Scaysbrook with considerable input from Alan Wallis O.A.M.

The article first appeared in the great Old Bike Australasia Magazine, Issue 18.

Note that this article does not make any connection between Tilbrook and Pope Products.