Person

Richardson, Mervyn Victor (1893 - 1972)

Born
11 November 1893
Yarramalong, New South Wales, Australia
Died
31 December 1972
Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation
Inventor

Summary

Mervyn Richardson was the inventor of the Victa lawn mower. Despite having no formal education beyond primary school, he showed considerable flair in mechanical design. His venture into car design and sales did not survive the economic conditions of the depression. Inspired to help his son with his lawn mowing business, in the late 1940s Richardson invented a petrol-driven mower with rotary blades that proved highly successful. By 1997 over seven million Victa mowers had been sold to the domestic and international markets. Other inventions included the Victa Airtourer, a light aircraft. Prototypes of the Victa lawnmower and other of Richardson's inventions are in the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Book Sections

  • Wood, Richard V., 'Richardson, Mervyn Victor (1893-1972), Inventor' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 16: 1940 - 1980 Pik-Z, John Ritchie and Diane Langmore, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2002), pp. 84-85. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A160099b.htm. Details

Resources

Helen Cohn

EOAS ID: biogs/P005855b.htm

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