Mintern Products P/L of Richmond, Melbourne
Mintern Garden Cultivator and Seeder © Ozwrenches
Table of Contents
Introduction
Mintern products P/L Richmond, Melbourne.
Information is sourced from directories and newspapers.
First ref found is for Mintern & Brehaut at 166b Bridge Rd, Richmond as Agricultural Implement Makers in 1930 (1)
Next we have a reference in the Argus newspaper, 16 June 1931, page 8.
Supporting proposed import duties.
"Mr William A Mintern director of Mintern and Brehaut Pty Ltd Bridge
road Richmond supporting the proposed
duties said that his company had been making garden tools for four months
and had received much encouragement.
It had been able to become established only by reason of the tariff"(2)
Next we have Mintern Products P/L listed from 1938 (at 166b Bridge Rd, Richmond) to 1967 (at Lexton Rd Box Hill) (3)
Next we have a newspaper report of a fire: The Argus (Melbourne, Tuesday 5 July 1938, page 1".
Richmond Blaze... £13,000 FIRE IN FACTORY. Most of the factory
of Mintern's Pty. Ltd., in Bridge
road, Richmond, was destroyed last night by fire. Stock worth £5,000
was burnt, and machinery valued at £8,000 was damaged.
The factory supplies garden implements to many city hardware stores. Forty
employees of the factory will probably be temporarily
out of work as a result of the fire. Breaking out in a storeroom, where
tons of newly made implements were stacked, the blaze
rapidly spread to the metal grinding section of the factory. £13,000
Next we have a report of a new Company being established:
The Argus (Melbourne,... Tuesday 19 March 1940, page 11.
The following company has applied for registration -
MINTERN PRODUCTS PTY LTD merchants W Horsfall promoter and proposed director
W K Horsfall also a proposed director. Registered office 98-100 Coppin
street Richmond Capital £25 000 in £1 shares. To acquire plant
machinery and stock to the value of £4000 from Wm Horsfall Pty Ltd,
98 Coppin street Richmond Purchase consideration £4000..
Various S & M Directories (Victorian)
Excerpts from "The Argus" from http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/
Some family history courtesy of Douglas Mintern Ellis, grandson of
Richard Albert Mintern.
Used with permission.
“My Great Grandfather Henry Mintern came from Ireland in the mid
1800’s and settled in northern Victoria with (later) the sons moving
to Horsham & Euroa areas. My Grandfather, Richard Albert Mintern was
a practical man and began manufacturing agricultural parts in Horsham.
About 1917 he travelled by the SS Niagara to Canada and US for discussions
with US agricultural companies on patents and Australian manufacture taking
my Grandmother and the three children with William (the youngest at about
7) (the SS Niagara as the fastest passenger ship in the Pacific, “ran”
without escort across the Pacific to Vancouver throughout World War 1
but she finally struck a German mine off the Bay of Islands off the New
Zealand north).
By the late 20’s the Mintern’s were in Richmond with the factory
and exhibiting regularly at the Royal Show (up to mid 30’s - I can
recall this and for a boy it was exciting). In those days we lived in
Camberwell.
The William A Mintern mentioned above was my uncle and in 1931 would have
been just 21, and a Director!
Richard Albert Mintern sold the Mintern Company following family financial
problems. I believe that the company was sold to Brehaut in about 1936.
(And Uncle Bill? Never heard from him again)
After the sale we moved to Surrey Hills. My father Norman James Ellis
then worked with Turner Manufacturing as Factory Manager in Burnley then
later in Whitehorse Rd Nunawadding and was “held” in that
position until World War 2 was over and then held that position until
well after normal retirement age, at request of Turner,
In education my Grand father was ahead of his time in insisting the children
(2 girls + 1 boy – William the youngest) received as high an education
as possible. My mother, Gwendalene Grace (Mintern) was one of the first
female graduate of Melbourne University specializing in teaching young
children and then played a large part in the formation of the Melbourne
Teacher’s College. My sister attended years later.
When I was going through “teens’ (and afterwards with my siblings) my parents did tremendous work for “young people” throughout the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne with the “Merrymakers Club.” Work which nowadays would earn an AO. ( but that is another story)
Douglas Ellis
11 July 2010"
Mintern garden cultivator spanner #3 - similar to Planet Jr #3 are quite common in Australia. See cat pick above. To date, none have been seen for Mintern & Brehaut, and the smaller spanner numbered 5430 in the above catalogue has not been sighted either.
A group of Mintern no 3 Garden Cultivator Spanners with a "Treble R" , thought to be by Mintern also. Note the various original colours and that there are two jaw sizes© ozwrenches.
Mintern & Brehaut heavy cast iron wheel on a farm implement © ozwrenches
Mintern Family Tree © D M Ellis