Hunter Industrials is a wholly Australian owned family business specialising in the distribution of cleaning chemicals and associated cleaning products. The Oxford Polish Company & invention of PINE-O-CLEEN – founded by Len Hunter Snr 1941 In early 1941, the young Len Hunter was offered the bankrupt company he had been working for, for 7 pounds, if he also forfeited the 21 pounds commission he was owed on sales. Len accepted the challenge and went on to make the OXFORD POLISH Co. one of the largest, privately owned businesses in Australia. His main key to success: the invention of Pine-O-Cleen. As always fate had a hand in supporting those that help themselves and Len acknowledged his pet cockatoo, without whose timely assistance, the success of one of Australia’s icons may never have happened. Len believed that the then “new idea” of a Pine fragranced disinfectant would capture the imagination of housewives, and he was right. But before he could market his new product he had to overcome what was becoming a mountain of a problem. His new disinfectant was cloudy. Try as he may he couldn’t achieve the “clear as a glass of beer” appearance he knew he must have. Late one night he finally went to bed, frustrated after another failure. As he slept the cockatoo knocked over a bottle of methylated spirits standing by the bath. When Len came down the next morning the alcohol had worked its magic and the solution was clear. The next step was to market his invention. Radio and press were too expensive for him. Luckily he had married into a family of 6 sisters. His wife and 5 sisters-in-law were soon put to work visiting grocery stores all over the state asking if they stocked Pine-O-Cleen. When Len arrived a week later the shopkeeper was only too pleased to place an order. The product established the Pine-O-Cleen brand and went on to capture a 70% share of the market and Hunter Chemicals never looked back.