# Victa

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Brand of Australian garden tools

For the cinema in South Australia, see [Victa Cinema](/source/Victa_Cinema).

For other uses, see [Victa (disambiguation)](/source/Victa_(disambiguation)).

A Victa lawn mower

**Victa** is an Australian manufacturer of outdoor garden equipment, including petrol, electric, and battery-powered [lawn mowers](/source/Lawn_mower), [edgers](/source/Edger), [trimmers](/source/String_trimmer), and [chainsaws](/source/Chainsaw). The brand is best known as a manufacturer of rotary lawn mowers. In the early 1960s the company also built [light aircraft](/source/Light_aircraft), notably the [Victa Airtourer](/source/Victa_Airtourer), and project homes.

From 2008 to 2025, the Victa brand was owned by the American engine manufacturer [Briggs & Stratton](/source/Briggs_%26_Stratton). In 2025, ownership returned to Australia with the Queensland based company Roy Gripske & Sons[1]. In Australia and New Zealand, Victa products are sold through major hardware chains and specialist dealers, and some products are available through dealers in other countries.

## History

The Victa company was founded by [Mervyn Victor Richardson](/source/Mervyn_Victor_Richardson)[2] in 1952.[3] The name was derived from his middle name.[4]

### Lawn mowers

An early Victa lawn mower

Mervyn's son Garry mowed lawns to earn money in university holidays. Garry borrowed Mervyn's Victa 14" cylinder-based power mower which was heavy to transport and to operate. Mervyn wanted to design a new mower for his son's business. Mervyn had seen Lawrence Hall's "Mowhall" rotary lawn mower demonstrated in 1948. The heavy Mowhall was not a very successful invention because it required two people to use it, one to push and one to pull.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

The Victa rotary lawn mower was developed in August 1952 by Richardson, in his backyard at [Concord, New South Wales](/source/Concord%2C_New_South_Wales).[5] Although not the first of its type, it was cheaper, lighter, and easier to use than earlier models.[6]

Although Richardson had developed rotating reel mowers for his son's business, in August 1952 he decided to make a rotary lawn mower similar to the Mowhall, using a [Villiers](/source/Villiers_Engineering) two-stroke engine mounted on its side but utilising a lighter base plate, allowing use by a single operator. He wanted it to be cheaper, lighter and more powerful. It was called the "Peach-Tin Prototype", so named because it was made out of scrap metal with a peach tin used as a fuel tank.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

Initially selling the mowers from his home,[6] by 1953, demand for the mowers was so strong that Richardson gave up his job and became full-time manager of his new company, Victa Mowers Pty Ltd.[2]

By 2002, 6.5 million Victa mowers had been sold in 30 countries.[6]

### 1960s diversification

In the early 1960s, the firm diversified into other industries: it manufactured the "red phone" (a private payphone system, for use in business premises), aircraft, and, for a short while, Victa project homes.[4]

In 1960, Victa Consolidated Industries, later renamed Victa Ltd, undertook to build 50 [Victa Airtourers](/source/Victa_Airtourer), a light monoplane designed by Henry Millicer, under Mervyn Victor Richardson, who had an interest in aeroplanes.[7] The company set up an Aviation Division at their Milperra base, and also produced the [Victa Aircruiser](/source/Victa_Aircruiser) and Victa [Gyroplane](/source/Gyroplane).[8] Victa built 168 of the aircraft in Sydney before selling off the division to New Zealand company [AESL](/source/AESL) in 1966.[9] The Airtourer proved very popular, boosted by Victa's purchase plan whereby owners could pay off the cost in instalments.[10]

Although certification was obtained, the Aircruiser was never put into production by Victa, as they withdrew that arm of their operations in 1966-7 after the government would not grant them a financial advantage to protect the local industry over imported aeroplanes.[11] The same fate befell the [Victa R-2](/source/Victa_R-2), a prototype single-engine four-seat [light aircraft](/source/Light_aircraft). Only one was built, which first flew in February 1961, but no production followed.[12]

In the 1960s, Victa produced a range of project homes in Australia.[13][14][15]

## Company

In 1953 Richardson gave up his job and became full-time manager of Victa Mowers Pty Ltd. In 1958, the company had moved to a new factory at [Milperra, New South Wales](/source/Milperra%2C_New_South_Wales), and its 3,000 employees were building 143,000 mowers a year for export to 28 countries.[2]

From the outset, the company used marketing and advertising effectively. It was a pioneer in Australian TV advertising, and also advertised extensively in newspaper and print media. Victa set up a network of distributors, who were thoroughly trained in promotion and sales.[6]

In the 1960s, Mervyn's son Garry Richardson started playing a more important role in the company, becoming chairman in 1965.[4]

In 1970 Victa was acquired by [Sunbeam Corporation Ltd.](/source/Sunbeam_Australia)[16][4]

In 1994 the factory moved to [Campsie](/source/Campsie%2C_New_South_Wales), and the seven millionth Victa lawnmower was built in 1997.[4]

In 1996, the company was sold to GUD Holdings Limited,[17] who sold the Victa Lawn Care business to American-based [Briggs & Stratton](/source/Briggs_%26_Stratton) for [A$](/source/Australian_dollar)23 million in 2008.[18][19][4]

Victa returned to Australian ownership in 2025 when it was acquired by Roy Gripske & Sons.[20][21]

### Today

While most design and manufacturing capability has remained in Australia, such as assembly, research and development, and parts manufacture, all engine products are sourced from Briggs & Stratton's Facilities in [Milwaukee](/source/Milwaukee), [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

Outdoor garden equipment, including petrol, electric, and battery-powered [lawn mowers](/source/Lawn_mower), [edgers](/source/Edger), [trimmers](/source/String_trimmer), and [chainsaws](/source/Chainsaw) are sold under the Victa brand.[22]

Victa is also sold in limited quantities through specialist dealers internationally.[23]

## Legacy

The Victa Lawnmower regarded by many as an Australian icon, and it was included in the [opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games](/source/Sydney_2000_Olympic_Games).[4] A retro advertisement for Victa is on permanent display at [Museum Railway Station](/source/Museum_railway_station) in Sydney.[24]

The Richardson radial aero-engine, the Victa prototype lawnmower (1952),[4] the Victa Peach Tin prototype, and other important Victa lawn mowers were donated to the [Powerhouse Museum](/source/Powerhouse_Museum) in Sydney.[25] The Powerhouse held an exhibition entitled *Victa – 70 years turning grass into lawns* in 2023.[26]

The archive of [Philip Larkin](/source/Philip_Larkin)'s work at [University of Hull](/source/University_of_Hull) includes the blue Victa lawn mower involved in the incident that inspired his famous poem '[The Mower](/source/The_Mower)'.[27][28]

## See also

- [City of Canada Bay Museum](/source/City_of_Canada_Bay_Museum)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [https://www.victa.com.au/about-victa](https://www.victa.com.au/about-victa)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-adb_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-adb_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-adb_2-2) Wood, Richard V., ["Richardson, Mervyn Victor (1893–1972)"](https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/richardson-mervyn-victor-11517), *Australian Dictionary of Biography*, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 30 December 2021

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Williams, Marina (12 January 2015), ["Victa mows through the ages"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210512054559/https://www.murrayvalleystandard.com.au/story/2802321/victa-mowers-a-cut-above/), *Murray Valley Standard*, archived from [the original](https://www.murrayvalleystandard.com.au/story/2802321/victa-mowers-a-cut-above/) on 12 May 2021

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-pon_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-pon_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-pon_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-pon_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-pon_4-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-pon_4-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-pon_4-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-pon_4-7) ["Collecting Lawnmowers: The Victa Mowers Story With A Careel Bay Link"](https://www.pittwateronlinenews.com/The-Victa-Lawnmowers-Story-With-A-Careel-Bay-Link.php). *Pittwater Online News* (426). 27 October – 2 November 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Victa About Us"](http://www.victa.com/au/about-us/). Briggs & Stratton Australia Pty Ltd.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-maas_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-maas_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-maas_6-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-maas_6-3) ["Victa Lawnmower Collection"](http://museumex.maas.museum/oai/phm/2257.html). *Museum Metadata Exchange*. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Victa"](https://janes.migavia.com/au/victa.html). *All the World's Aircraft*. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Item TL 40953: Descriptive Booklet - Victa Aviation Division, circa 1965"](https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/1451612) (25 images). *[Museums Victoria](/source/Museums_Victoria) Collections*. 23 June 1981. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["The aeroplane"](https://www.airtourer.asn.au/index.php/the-aeroplane/history-of-the-airtourer.html). *Airtourer Association Inc*. 12 December 1961. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Building a plane the Victa way"](https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141982189). *[Western Herald (Bourke)](/source/Western_Herald_(Bourke))*. New South Wales, Australia. 9 October 1964. p. 5. Retrieved 29 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Brumby Aircraft to Build Aircruisers"](https://www.australianflying.com.au/news/brumby-aircraft-to-build-aircruisers). *Australian Flying*. 10 September 1966. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Brogden, Stanley (12 August 1960). ["Australian Light Aircraft: Newcomers Enter the Club and Agricultural Markets"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161101213049/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%201328.html). *[Flight](/source/Flight_International)*. Vol. 78, no. 2683. pp. 234–235. Archived from [the original](https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%201328.html) on 1 November 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Victa Homes - Richmond"](https://www.flickr.com/photos/midcentarc/4437861143). 1960. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Victa Homes - Pasadena"](https://www.flickr.com/photos/midcentarc/4438637238). 1963. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Victa Homes"](https://www.flickr.com/photos/midcentarc/4438637018/). *Flickr*. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["Sunbeam makes cash bid for Victa"](https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/14541184). *[The Canberra Times](/source/The_Canberra_Times)*. 26 February 1970. Retrieved 10 February 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** ["Sunbeam Victa Holdings Limited SVH"](https://www.delisted.com.au/company/sunbeam-victa-holdings-limited). *DeListed Australia*. Retrieved 21 October 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Alice Coster (5 June 2008). ["Victa Lawncare mown down"](http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23812300-662,00.html). *Herald Sun*. www.news.com.au. Retrieved 7 July 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["Aussie icon falls into American hands"](https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/aussie-icon-falls-into-american-hands-20080604-gea0kw.html). *Brisbane Times*. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["About Victa"](https://www.victa.com.au/about-victa). *Victa Australia*. Retrieved 2 January 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** Walton, Leesa; Sheehan, Paul. ["Victa Returns to Australian Hands in Landmark Acquisition by Roy Gripske & Sons"](https://www.victa.com/content/dam/victa/au/en_au/files/Victa_RGS_PR%20Release.pdf) (PDF) (Press release). Retrieved 2 January 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** ["About Us"](http://www.victa.com/au/about-us). *www.victa.com*. Retrieved 4 October 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** ["International Dealers"](https://www.victa.com/au/en_au/where-to-buy/international-dealers.html). *Victa*. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** ["Museum Station"](https://www.gml.com.au/projects/museum-station/). *GML Heritage*. Retrieved 28 May 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** ["Archived copy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160820104759/http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/australia_innovates/?behaviour=view_article&Section_id=1040&article_id=10057). Archived from [the original](http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/australia_innovates/?behaviour=view_article&Section_id=1040&article_id=10057) on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_archived_copy_as_title))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** ["Victa – 70 years turning grass into lawns"](https://powerhouse.com.au/program/victa#overview). *Powerhouse Museum*. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** ["Larkin's lawnmower cuts it as a relic"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1393852/Larkins-lawnmower-cuts-it-as-a-relic.html). *[The Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph)*. 11 May 2002. Retrieved 22 February 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-McDonald_28-0)** McDonald, Guy (2004). *Cadogan Guide: England,* p. 836. New Holland Publishers, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-86011-116-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-86011-116-7)

## External links

Media related to [Victa lawn mowers](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Victa_lawn_mowers) at Wikimedia Commons

- [Official website](https://www.victa.com/au/en_au/home.html) (Australian website)

- [Victa Lawn Mower patent at IP Australia website](https://web.archive.org/web/20070701010128/http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/ex_victa.shtml)

- [Cartoon drawing of "First Victa Lawnmower and First Ear Muffs"](https://collectionsearch.nma.gov.au/icons/images/kaui2/index.html#/home?usr=CE) at the [National Museum of Australia](/source/National_Museum_of_Australia)

v t e Briggs & Stratton People John I. Beggs Stephen Foster Briggs Thomas R. Savage Brooks Stevens Harold M. Stratton Products Briggs & Stratton Animal Briggs & Stratton Flyer Briggs & Stratton Raptor Briggs & Stratton Vanguard Big Block V-Twin Companies Generac Power Systems Murray Simplicity Outdoor Snapper Inc. Victa

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Victa lawn mowers](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Victa_lawn_mowers).

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