OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Victa Walk-Behind Rotary Mowers Victa Dealerships - Small Stories, Big Dreams

An often overlooked topic when delving into Victa's history is that of its dealers. During the explosive expansion of the company in the final years of the 50s, John Mason declared that "every conceivable kind of business wanted to sell them." From dedicated mower retailers all the way through to pet food suppliers, service station owners and football stars, the dealer base was as varied in its disposition as their geographical locations. From small towns to big cities, potential agents clamoured for appointments to become authorised sellers in a hope of riding the wave of fortune Victa were creating. In order to develop a better picture of Victa's dealers from the late 50s through to the late 60s, and the humble yet no less-interesting stories they tell, I've decided to trawl through my archive of articles and post one or two when time permits.

The first snapshot I'd like to share is that of Heck Howard. A local attraction, Heck's service station operated on Gladesville Road, Hunters Hill, from the mid-20s all the way through to the early 60's. Of particular interest is the demonstration mower pictured in front of Heck. Stripped down Auto or dressed up Model 4?

May, 1959

i'd kill to have that Ute with all the writing on it!

Me too Kye!

What a great story bestseller: Heck Howard from Hunter's Hill... hilarious.
Here's a favourite photo of another Howard - Eric Howard of Hobart.
Photo taken at Salamanca Place, home of the famous markets held each Saturday.



We also get a rare glimpse of the cartons used to package the Model 5.

Brilliant.
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Jack

Jack, history is a wonderful thing to look back on when a nation was feeling its way, but I wonder if in another 50 years will there be anything that is worth reading about from around this period in time.
Norm

History is a wonderful thing with mowers and engines. We've had the victas etc and scott bonners etc, qualcast, etc along with their classic motors such as villiers, briggs and stratton,bsa etc all of which are now highly collectable. In present time we have people posting things about the likes of Sanli and Xceed mowers which have chonda motors. To us who like the mowers of 50 years ago era these mowers have no appeal but then i suppose todays youth in 50 years may well have a future product that runs on solar power a cushion of air and completely remote control etc, so a Sanli or an Xceed could in 50 years be highly collectable .

Meet Joe Underwood of Underwood's Mower Service, Box Hill, Victoria.

February, 1964

I just love the way the article about joe underwood is written. After reading it wouldn't you want to rush in and buy a 2nd hand mower off him, thinking that it was as good as a new mower. He nearly puts Gerry Harvey in the novice category of salesmanship.

I bet Joe would be staggered to see that the Rotomo he first sold is still highly sought after.
As for things in another 50 years ,hard to tell the development of these early machines often happened in backyards and sheds,and you could see the way they grew, products these days are just created in massive Chinese factories with no human touch, just so bland and in a similar manner I can't see a Hyundai Elantra being sought after by collector/ restorers in another 50 years

Absolutely agree there Norm. My general rule of thumb is anything after the introduction of plastic will struggle to become collectible long into the future. A good case in point is the Victa Special - Plastic wheels are their weak point. Cant be repaired or refurbished to any great degree, leaving unconvincing reproductions as the only hope for restoration. Whenever you replace a part like that a machine tends to lose a bit of its personality, I reckon. The old steel/brass/alloy combo makes earlier machines that much tougher and repairable...and desirable.

Anyways, with the ongoing topic of Early Victa dealerships, here we have a couple of foreign examples that do well to demonstrate the global reach Victa were achieving in the early to mid 60's:


February, 1963 - Willie Lawson's store, Tullynestle, Scotland



August, 1964 - Tiger Williams, Union Implement Company, Durban, South Africa

May, 1959

Col Mcphee, Brighton Avenue, Campsie NSW




Col Mphee's service station today. Col is pictured roughly where the truck is parked.

Hi bestseller

I love your finds and research.
For whatever reason, I find it rewarding to match old photos
with today - to see what survives. Brilliant mate!

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Jack