Adelaide Steamship Company building, Currie Street, 1917

The Adelaide Steamship Company was an Australian shipping company and later a diversified industrial and logistics conglomerate. It was formed by a group of

South Australian South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods between

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and profit from the need for an efficient and comfortable passenger service. For its first 100 years, the company's main activities were conventional shipping operations on the Australian coast, primary products, consumer cargoes and extensive passenger services. In the 1930s and 1940s, the company diversified into the airline operations, towage, shipbuilding, and the shipping of salt, coal and sugar. Adelaide Airways was formed in 1935, and purchased

West Australian Airways West Australian Airways was an Australian airline based in Geraldton, Western Australia. Established on 5 December 1921 as Western Australian Airways by World War I pilot Norman Brearley, it was the first airline in Australia to establish a sch ...

before merging with Holyman's Airways to form

Australian National Airways Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. The Holyman's Airways period On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...

(ANA) in 1936. ANA was sold to Ansett Transport Industries in 1957.The Adelaide Steamship Company history
(2008). Shipping Line Histories: The Ocean Liner Virtual Museum. oceanlinermuseum.co.uk Retrieved on 6 July 2009. In 1964, the Interstate fleet merged with McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co, and the partnership developed the world's first purpose built

container ships A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermoda ...

.The Adelaide Steamship Coy Ltd, Steamship buildings
(2009). Picture Australia. Retrieved on 23 June 2009. - I couldn't get that link to work. This one worked: -
The Adelaide Steamship Coy Ltd, Steamship buildings
(2009). Picture Australia. Retrieved on 23 June 2009.
. (2005). Australia's Official World Expo Business Publication. Retrieved 23 June 2009. However, in 1973, the company ceased its shipbuilding operations, and in 1977, in its 103rd year of operation, the company sold its shipping related businesses, and ceased its connection with ship owning and operating.
(2007). The Ships List. Retrieved 23 June 2009. The company did, however, retain its interests in

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

operations. In the 1970s and 1980s, with John SpalvinsClarke et al. (2003) ''Corporate Collapse'', pg.xiii at the helm, the company became a

corporate raider A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

with a portfolio financed by huge borrowings. The recession of the early 1990s caused lenders, over 200 banks, to demand the return of their assets.Sexton, Elisabeth (2007)
Fresh twist in IEL's monster tax case
. 28 December 2007. Brisbane Times Online. Retrieved 27 June 2009. This forced the liquidation of the portfolio.Randall, Jeff (2005)
Wizards from Oz could fall as flat as Eddie the Eagle
. Telegraph Online. Retrieved 27 July 2009. With the completion of the liquidation, on 30 April 1997 the company was renamed Residual Assco Group LimitedThe Adelaide Steamship Company Limited (AST)
, 30 April 1997, Delisted Australian companies, delisted.com.au. Retrieved 12 July 2009. in order that the Adelaide Steamship name could be reused. Residual Assco was delisted on 24 December 1999.Residual Assco Group Limited (RAG)
, 24 December 1999, Delisted Australian companies, delisted.com.au. Retrieved on 12 July 2009.
A subsequent entry dated 3 April 2007 states: ''" company is an unlisted public company awaiting resolution of outstanding tax issues – it may then be wound up – shareholders are unlikely to receive any return but they can contact the company on 02 9258 8833 or Registries Ltd on 02 9290 9600"''. In June 1997, the tug boat operations were floated on the

Australian Stock Exchange Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as ...

under the name Adsteam Marine. In 2001, Adsteam Marine acquired its joint venture partner (and major rival as the premier Australian towage operator), Howard Smith. Adsteam Marine became the largest towage operator in Australia and the United Kingdom, with further extensive operations in the South Pacific.Gaston, Jack & Ware, Hugh (2001)
One World, One Tug Company?
Marcon International, Inc. Retrieved 25 June 2009. In 2006, Adsteam Marine was acquired as the Pacific arm of the world's largest shipping company, AP Moeller-Maersk,Hopkins, Phillip (2006)
Adsteam shares make waves after great Dane's $693m takeover bid
. 4 July 2006,

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

: Business. Retrieved 23 June 2009.Adsteam Marine (ADZ)
delisted.com.au Retrieved on 22 July 2009. "Delisted following compulsory acquisition by Svitzer Australasia Services Pty Limited 17 May 2007." thus removing the Adelaide Steamship name from the Australian Stock Exchange and Australian Company registers.

Steamships

Custom House and Garden Reach, Brisbane, Australia

The company was formed in September 1875 in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, by a group of pastoralists and businessmen, some of whom already had steamship interests in the Spencer Gulf, namely Federal Wharf Co. Ltd, Port Adelaide Dredging Company Ltd, and Spencer Gulf Shipping Co. Ltd, and was incorporated on 8 October 1875.Adelaide Steamship Company Ltd (1875–1997)
(2006). Guide to Australian Business Records. Retrieved 25 June 2009. Its promoters and founding directors included Andrew Tennant,

Robert Barr Smith Robert Barr Smith (4 February 1824 – 20 November 1915) was an Australian businessman and philanthropist in Adelaide, South Australia. He was a partner in Elder Smith and Company from 1863 (now now Elders Limited). Early life and education Smi ...

and

Thomas Elder Sir Thomas Elder, (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897), was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder, and public figure. Amongst many other things, he is notable fo ...

of Elder Smith & Co Ltd. The first ship of the new company was ''Flinders''.SA Memory (2008). ''South Australian shipping lines: Adelaide Steamship Company
Beginnings

Expansion

Cutbacks and containerisation
'' State Library of South Australia, Government of South Australia. Retrieved 8 July 2009. In July 1876 the company's leading promoters amalgamated their private ship-owning interests to form the Spencer's Gulf Steamship Co Ltd, trading in South Australian coastal waters. The two companies amalgamated in December 1882. The fleet circled the coast from

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

in northern

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

to Cairns in northern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

. Shipping operations were supported by a large network of agency offices in almost every major Australian port. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, several Adelaide Steamship Company ships were requisitioned, as were several other privately owned ships; ''Grantala'' and '' Warilda'' as hospital ships and '' Wandilla'' and '' Willochra'' as troopships.Wylie, Ron (2006)
The Australian Merchant Navy: Adelaide Steamship
. Retrieved 30 June 2009. ''Yankalilla'' and ''Echunga'' were also commandeered. Adelaide Steamship Company was liquidated and reconstructed twice for more efficient and profitable operation, first in 1900 and subsequently in 1920. On 20 January 1915 they took over Coast Steamships Limited, and kept it running as a subsidiary that retained its own identity until 1968. By the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the company owned 30 ships. With World War II, the company was again forced to surrender nine ships to the Navy, including ''Manoora'' and ''Manunda'' which became an Armed Merchant Cruiser and a hospital ship. ''Manunda'' was in Darwin harbour during the Japanese bombing and was able to bring 260 military and civilian casualties to safety in Fremantle. During the war she carried about 30,000 sick and wounded back to Australia from the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

. During the 1940s, a decline in trade necessitated the company to diversify and they began to acquire interests in other companies and projects. Consequently, after the war, the company diversified into towage, shipbuilding, and the shipping of salt, coal and sugar. On 1 January 1964, its interstate fleet was merged with that of McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co in a new company, Associated Steamships Limited, in which Adelaide Steamship Company held 40%. Also in 1964, the merged company developed the world's first purpose built container ship, MV ''Kooringa''.

Bulkships Bulkships was an Australian shipping company. History Bulkships was founded in 1958 by the Adelaide Steamship Company, Howard Smith and McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co as a bulk carrier operator.Accounting scandals in Australia since the late 1980s
. University of Ballarat and James Cook University. Retrieved 11 July 2009.

Ships

Ships owned and operated by Adelaide Steamship Company included: * ''Argosy Lemal'', later ''Booya'' *SS Beltana * HMAS ''Bungaree'' * SS ''Camira'' Built 1894 as SS ''Clan Campbell''These three ships were purchased from the

Clan Line The Clan Line was a passenger and cargo shipping company that operated in one incarnation or another from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. History Foundation and early years The company that would become the Clan Lin ...

in 1914. * SS ''Cantara'' Built 1894 as SS ''Clan Ross'' * SS ''Ceduna'' Built 1894 as SS ''Clan Mackay'' * SS ''Ferret'' * MV ''Kooringa'' * SS ''Koombana'' * HMAS ''Manoora'' * TSMV ''Manunda'' * MV ''Minnipa''Larsson, Björn (2008)
Adelaide Steamship Co. Sailings c. Late 1920s

Maritime Timetable Images. Retrieved 8 July 2009. * MV ''Moonta'' * SS ''Paringa'' * ''

Polly Woodside ''Polly Woodside'' is a Belfast-built, three-masted, iron-hulled barque, preserved in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), and forming the central feature of the South Wharf precinct. The ship was originally built in Belfast by William J. Woodside ...

'' (1922–1953) * SS ''Warilda'', later HMAT ''Warilda'' * SS ''Willochra'', later RMS ''Fort Victoria'' * SS ''Yongala''

Aeroplanes

Adelaide Airways 1935-Short Scion&Monospar

Adelaide Airways 1936-De Havilland DH89A VH-UVT

Adelaide Airways was formed as a subsidiary of the Adelaide Steamship Company on 3 July 1935 and commenced operations on 29 October. It had a number of different types of aircraft in its fleet, including the

Short Scion The Short S.16 Scion and Scion II were 1930s British two-engine, cantilever monoplanes built by Short Brothers and (under licence) by Pobjoy Airmotors and Aircraft Ltd. in Rochester, Kent between 1933 and 1937. Altogether 22 Scion/Scion II a ...

, the General Aircraft Monospar ST-25, and the De Havilland DH.89A.Adelaide Airways postcard, 1935
, The Airways Museum & Civil Aviation Historical Society. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
, The Airways Museum & Civil Aviation Historical Society. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
, Guide to Australian Business Records. Retrieved 30 June 2009. On 12 June 1936, Adelaide Airways purchased

for £25,000. Ivan Holyman (of Holyman's Airways Pty Ltd) approached AdSteam with a view to an amalgamation, aiming to form Australia's most powerful airline which would effectively control airline traffic between

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, Adelaide,

and Sydney. On 12 June 1936 the two companies merged and, on 2 November 1936 with

Orient Steam Navigation Company The Orient Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Orient Line, was a British shipping company with roots going back to the late 18th century. From the early 20th century onwards, an association began with P&O which became 51% shareholde ...

and

Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Limited was once the biggest shipping line in the southern hemisphere and New Zealand's largest private-sector employer. It was incorporated by James Mills in Dunedin in 1875 with the backing of a Scot ...

, formed

(ANA), "the pre- and post-war giant among Australian domestic airlines". AdSteam retained partial ownership in ANA until Holyman's death in 1957. The ANA board then unsuccessfully attempted to sell out to the Government owned

Trans Australia Airlines Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), renamed Australian Airlines in 1986, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its merger with Qantas in September 1992. As a result of the "COBRA" (or Common Brand ...

, before reaching agreement with

Reg Ansett Sir Reginald Myles Ansett KBE (13 February 1909 – 23 December 1981) was an Australian businessman and aviator. He was best known for founding Ansett Transport Industries, which owned one of Australia's two leading domestic airlines between 1 ...

to sell the airline to him for £3.3 million. ANA and Ansett Airways merged to form Ansett-ANA on 3 October 1957.

Shipbuilding

Adelaide Ship Construction was set up as a subsidiary of the Adelaide Steamship Company in 1957, and was incorporated in July 1957. At the same time it was issued with the sole Australian licence for the hydroconic hull design patented by Burness, Corlett & Partners of the United Kingdom. This hull design for tugs gave them greater bollard pull from a given horsepower. Adelaide Ship Construction had been set up especially to address the issue of Australia's ageing fleet of tugs. The yard was built on the historic Fletcher's slip site at

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

.SA Memory (2009)
Adelaide Ship Construction Ltd
, Shipbuilding in South Australia: Twentieth century, State Library of South Australia, Government of South Australia. Retrieved 14 July 2009. The

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

for the first tug was laid 20 May 1958 and it was launched 12 February 1959. The shipyard site grew from two acres and one berth to four berths and 6½ acres in 1968, and to cater for vessels up to 425 feet long. At this time it employed more than 1,000 men. Adelaide Ship Construction had also acquired from Burness, Corlett and Partners the licence for their 'Towmaster' patent. Coupled with the Hydroconic hull design this enabled ever greater pull in its tugs. ''Hamersley Comet'', built in 1968 had a bollard pull of 34.1 tons, the strongest to that time. However, by 1973 the yard was running at a loss of $3.4 million, and it closed in August of that year. Its last ship was ''Cape York''.

Tug boat operations

A relatively minor sideline, started in the 1890s, was the company's tug boat operations. Gradually, tug boat operations extended over a number of ports, but until the middle of the 20th century they remained the poor relation of the more significant coastal shipping operations. With the decline of coastal shipping however, towage assumed more importance. By the 1960s, towage and associated operations represented a very significant part of the company's activities. In 1977 the company's interest in Bulkships was disposed of, and Adelaide Steamship Company ceased its connection with ship owning and operating. It had diversified into investment and property ownership, vineyard and

wine production Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and w ...

, optical goods manufacturing and distribution, engineering, share investment, and, until 1973, shipbuilding. Thus towage and associated operations continued to have prominence, even during the 1970s and 1980s when the Adelaide Steamship Company became the foundation for one the country's major conglomerate organisations. As this activity was happening, towage began to reassert itself as an important element of the company; From 1993 it exhibited a period of aggressive growth until the company had a fleet of 156 tug boats, and operated in over 40 Australian,

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

a and British ports. Strengthened by a series of industry rationalisations –

Brambles A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inclu ...

Port Kembla A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more Wharf, wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can a ...

, Sydney and

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

operations and P&O's towage operations in Western Australia – the towage division became a valuable candidate for asset disposal. In April 1997 the company changed its name to Residual Assco Group Limited and in June 1997 floated its marine division which was registered on the

as Adsteam Marine Limited. Once it became a publicly listed company in its own right, Adsteam Marine established a strong investor following. In addition to towage, the company developed shipping agency and tug barging activities. Adsteam Marine doubled its size in May 2001 when it acquired the towage interests of Howard Smith, its partner in many towage ventures, for more than $500 million, making it the largest towage operator in Australia and the United Kingdom, together with operations in Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Other activities included barge operations in the United States, and ships agency services throughout Australia, New Zealand and India. In 2006, it was acquired by AP Moeller-Maersk.

The corporate raider

After becoming chief executive of the Adelaide Steamship Company in 1977, John Spalvins built up one of Australia's largest industrial conglomerates and became one of the most feared takeover specialists in corporate Australia.Korporaal, Glenda (2007)
This time it's different, says '87 crash victim John Spalvins
. 13 October 2007.

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

. Retrieved 11 July 2009. Spalvins transformed himself into an entrepreneur, using vast amounts of debt to launch a series of massive takeovers.Porter, Ian (2006)
Japanese parent foils bid to unseat Bridgestone four
. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 June 2009. Adsteam "aggressively acquired significant shareholdings in a variety of companies in a number of fields including retailing, hotels, leisure industries and civil engineering." "Adsteam's share price rose dramatically through much of the 1980s and it was hailed by some commentators as being entrepreneurial, well managed and with a highly disciplined reporting system."Clarke et al. (2003). ''Corporate Collapse'' p. 159. At its height, the Adsteam group included Woolworths, David Jones, brewer

Tooth & Co Tooth and Co was the major brewer of beer in New South Wales, Australia. The company owned a large brewery on Broadway in Sydney from 1835 until 1985, known as the Kent Brewery. It was historically one of Australia's oldest companies, having be ...

, the Petersville Sleigh food group, the Farmers Union dairy group, Metro Meat, a stable of premium wineries and many others.Wineries acquired by AdSteam included:

Penfolds Penfolds is an Australian wine producer that was founded in Adelaide in 1844 by Christopher Rawson Penfold, an English physician who emigrated to Australia, and his wife Mary Penfold. It is one of Australia's oldest wineries, and is currently p ...

, Wynns Coonawarra, Seaview, Glenloth, Kaiser Stuhl, Barossa Co-op, Tulloch and Loxton Co-op. These were sold to

South Australian Brewing Company The South Australian Brewing Company, Limited is a brewery located in Thebarton, an inner-west suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is a subsidiary of Lion, which in turn is owned by Kirin, a Japan-based beverage company. It manufactures ...

in 1990 who named them the Penfolds Wines Group and then in 1994, Southcorp Wines. They are currently owned by the

Foster's Group Foster's Group Pty. Ltd. was an Australian beer group with interests in brewing and soft drinks, known for Foster's Lager, now called Carlton & United Breweries since the company was renamed in 2011. Foster's was founded in 1888 in Melbourne, ...

. Also, at various stages, it held a 15% stake in

Westpac Westpac Banking Corporation, known simply as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney, New South Wales. Established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, ...

,Porter, Ian (2006)
Tyresome approach has Spalvins trying to tread on board
. The Age: Business. Retrieved 27 June 2009. a 20% stake in Bell Resources,"The Bell Group Ltd vs Westpac Banking Corporation"
2008 WASC 239, Supreme Court of Western Australia, 22 July 2003 to 22 September 2006. Judgement delivered 28 October 2008. and numerous other "strategic" stakes and investments. During this period of aggressive growth, AdSteam also had 156 tug boats and operated in over 40 Australian, Indian, Pacific Ocean and British ports. The company was Australia's fourth highest capitalised company during the 1980s.

Group structure

A characteristic of the AdSteam Group during this period was a complex Group Structure of

cross ownership Cross ownership is a method of reinforcing business relationships by owning stock in the companies with which a given company does business. Heavy cross ownership is referred to as circular ownership. The Japanese economy is alleged to be heavily ...

where many of the companies of the group owned not-quite-50% of each other. This served the dual purposes of making the elements of the group "take-over proof", but did not trigger the financial reporting requirements of a consolidated set of accounts. In the 1990 Adelaide Steamship Company Annual Report, the following companies were reported as "Principal operating subsidiaries" of the AdSteam Group, with the following cross ownerships greater than 5%: ;The Adelaide Steamship Company *100% Marine Interests (various) *100% Martin Wells Holdings Limited – optical goods; acquired 1982 *100% Sellers Atkins Limited – building supplies; acquired 1976 *100% Pioneer Property Group Limited – House Building & Property Development *100% WA Realty Pty Ltd – real estate * 49%

David Jones Limited David Jones Pty Limited, trading as David Jones (colloquially DJs), is an Australian High-End department store, owned since 2014 by South African retail group Woolworths Holdings Limited. David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh ...

– department stores and investments * 50% Metro Meat (Holdings) Limited – meat * 14%

– brewing, hotels, investments, wine, food; acquired 1981; brewing interests sold 1983 to

Carlton & United Breweries Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) is an Australian brewing company based in Melbourne and owned by Japanese conglomerate Asahi Breweries. Its notable brands include Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Foster's Lager, Great Northern, Resch's, Pu ...

* 18% Petersville Sleigh Limited – food, timber, woodchips, mining, distribution of earthmoving equipment, shipping agencies, investments, food product manufacture, distribution and marketing (sold to

Pacific Dunlop Pacific Dunlop was a highly diversified Australian conglomerate company that operated in, among other things, the Automotive, textile, electronics and biotechnology industries. Products commercialised included tires, car batteries, cables, clo ...

) * 13% National Consolidated Limited – diversified manufacturing and marketing, investments * 33% Industrial Equity LimitedIndustrial Equity Limited, which owned Woolworths, was one-third each owned by Adsteam, David Jones & Tooth food and beverages, energy and resources, manufacturing and distribution, property services, investments * 18% AWA Limited – manufacturing & installation of electronics & electrical communications products * 23%

Macmahon Holdings Macmahon Holdings Limited was founded by Brian Macmahon, an Adelaide civil engineer, in 1963. It is based in Perth, Western Australia, with offices in Queensland, South Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia. The company operates in the Mining and ...

– civil engineering, leisure industries * 48% Markheath Securities plc – property development, manufacturing, investment ;

*100% John Martin & Co. – department stores; acquired 1985 ** John Martin Financial Services Limited ** John Martin Retailers Limited * 44% The Adelaide Steamship Company * 44% Tooth & Co Limited – hotels, investments, wine, food * 30% AAM Inc – coal handling, office supplies, investments * 33% Industrial Equity Limited food and beverages, energy and resources, manufacturing and distribution, property services, investments ;

* 50% Metro Meat (Holdings) Limited – meat * 33% Industrial Equity Limited food and beverages, tnergy and resources, manufacturing and distribution, property services, investments * 18% National Consolidated Limited – diversified manufacturing and marketing, investments ; Petersville Sleigh Limited * 30% AAM Inc – coal handling, office supplies, investments * 51%

Howard Smith Limited Howard Smith Limited was an Australian industrial company. Founded in 1854 as a shipping company, it later diversified into coal mining, steel production, stevedoring, travel, railway rolling stock building, sugar production and retail. Its divi ...

– shipping, distribution, heavy engineering, investments ;National Consolidated Limited * 20% David Jones Limited – department stores and investments * 10% Markheath Securities plc – property development, manufacturing, investment ;

* 7% Markheath Securities plc ;Industrial Equity Limited (IEL) *100% Woolworths Ltd – retail

Other companies, acquisitions and disposals

Other companies, acquisitions and disposals in the group included: * Lockwood locks *

Buffum's Buffums, originally written as Buffums' with an apostrophe, was a chain of upscale department stores, headquartered in Long Beach, California. The Buffums chain began in 1904, when two brothers from Illinois, Charles A. and Edwin E. Buffum, ...

– chain of

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

based department stores * Wineries, including

Wynns Coonawarra Estate Wynns Coonawarra Estate is an Australian winery located in Coonawarra, South Australia within the Coonawarra wine region. History The estate was founded in 1891 by John Riddoch, utilizing red soil and planted vines. In 1951, the vineyard was ...

, Seaview, Glenloth, Kaiser Stuhl, Barossa Co-op, Tulloch and Loxton Co-op, sold to

in 1990. Other wineries owned by group members at one time or another included Seppelts and Woodley Wines (IEL). * Bridgestone * Farmers Union – subsequently floated as part of National Foods * SAFCOL Food Processing – sold to Tropical Canning (Thailand) plcTropical Canning (Thailand) plc acquires Safcol Food Processing
, www.alacrastore.com * Vaniro – for some reason not explained, Vaniro is not included in the 1990 Annual Report Group Structure diagram. It does, however, feature significantly in the State Bank audit report. * Dextran Pty Ltd – like Vaniro, another AdSteam subsidiary. Dextran is the owner of IEL.McIlwraith, Ian (2003)

, 19 April 2003, Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 July 2009. During the 1980s, AdSteam instigated a number of "share plays", and also made significant investments in a number of companies including: * ANZ Bank *Bell Resources *

BHP BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...

* National Australia Bank * Royal Insurance plc *

Borrowings

All of this was financed by huge borrowings from about 200 banks. The lendings of just one bank, the

State Bank of South Australia The State Bank of South Australia was a bank created in 1896 and owned by the Government of South Australia. The bank became the subject of a two-year South Australian Royal Commission upon collapse in 1991. The surviving part of the bank now ...

, are summarised in the following chart.SA Govt Auditor (1993
Chapter 9, Appendix B: Summary of Movements in Facility – Adelaide Steamship Company
, 1993 Audit of the State Bank of South Australia. Retrieved 14 July 2009. SBSA Lendings to AdSteam

The source of the above data (South Australian Government Auditor in 1993), in a comment dated 26 April 1990, states: "Papers also comment on 'off the record' discussions with Adsteam Group's major bankers and gives exposures of nine banks (including the Bank) which total $4,960M. There is little comment on this figure but an analysis of each company's results shows assets exceed liabilities in each company by a good margin... Paper also comments on recent press issues including potential worst case losses of $110.0M from Bell Resources investment – 'the impact of such a loss ..... is not considered a major concern'." A subsequent comment dated 26 July 1990 states: "Lending Credit Committee minute notes planned reduction in exposure through maturity of facilities. Also notes extension of other facilities to August 1991 which illustrates 'the continued level of confidence this Bank held in Adsteam's continuity'." With the benefit of hindsight, further comments make interesting reading. Despite the assurances recorded in the board papers, from that point the State Bank of South Australia steadily reduced its exposure to the AdSteam Group.

1990–1991

The opaque nature of the AdSteam Group caused rising concern in a variety of circles. Although shareholders continued to enjoy bonus shares, rights issues, and significant dividends, the share price plateaued. Financial journalists started asking questions, and the share price faltered. After the 1990 Annual General Meeting and the announcement of the 25c dividend (per share) against a diminished share price, investor confidence deserted the company and the share price crashed from over $5 to under $1 in one day. The previously "nervous" banks were far from happy, and started demanding the return of their capital, despite AdSteam having had this money invested in largely non-liquid assets. Also of course, the banks were not keen to force AdSteam into bankruptcy as such a situation would be unlikely to achieve the return of their assets. Hence, AdSteam organised an "arrangement" with the 200 banks, and in 1991 the Adsteam group was placed under an informal, receivership-type scheme of arrangement. Under this arrangement, there was an orderly disposal of assets.

The aftermath

In order to facilitate the orderly disposal of assets, a number of the group members were renamed: * The Adelaide Steamship Company became The Residual Assco Group. * David Jones Limited became DJL Limited.DJL Ltd
delisted.com.au Retrieved on 22 July 2009.
David Jones Limited changed name to DJL Limited on 16 October 1995 and was "delisted at entity's request" on 24 December 1999 (at the same time as Residual Assco.) A note at delisted.com.au dated 9 January 2003 states: "company is an unlisted public company and part of the Residual Assco Group (see further details there) – according to our information DJL no longer has any operating entities but is an investor in Residual Assco Group Limited (42.2%), Tooth & Co Limited (44.2%) and Dextran Pty Limited (1/3) which in turn owns Industrial Equity Limited." * Metro Meat Holdings became Ortem Holdings. During the course of the disposal, there were a number of sales, and four successful floats: *

National Foods Bega Dairy & Drinks is a subsidiary of Australian diversified food company Bega Cheese, having been purchased from the Japanese company Kirin (who owns Lion in Australia) in November 2020. While owned by Kirin, it was known as Lion Dairy & D ...

(1991) *

Woolworths Limited Woolworths Group Limited is an Australian trans-Tasman retailer headquartered in Bella Vista, Sydney, with extensive operations throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the largest company in Australia by revenue and the second-largest in N ...

(1993) *

(1995) * Adsteam Marine (1997) Nevertheless, not all of the disposals were made under ideal circumstances, and Adsteam's loss of $4.49 billion represented one of Australia's largest corporate collapses.Clarke et al. (2003) ''Corporate Collapse'' p.153 However, the major lesson out of the AdSteam collapse was for the accounting profession; a newspaper report on its failure carried the sub-headline "Adsteam a humiliation for the accounting profession".Kohler, A., (1991), "In the bad books", Australian Financial Review, 2 April, pp. 1 and 52.Burge, G., (1991), "Adsteam's $4.49 billion loss is biggest ever", Sydney Morning Herald, 1 October, p. 25 Adsteam was "an excellent instance of how the rule-book approach to consolidation accounting imposed by the law and the Accounting Standards at the time determined managerial actions". The "Adsteam saga" resulted in major changes to Australian accounting rules pertaining to consolidation and led to the issue of AAS 24 Consolidated Financial Statements by the accounting profession in June 1990 for application from 30 June 1991 (subject to a "legal impediment", see Deegan, 2005, p. 880) and the issue of AASB 1024 Consolidated Accounts with statutory backing in 1991. Specifically, the definition of "control" for consolidation purposes was broadened beyond prescribed ownership interests to embrace control over an entity's financial and operating policies, making use of the notion of "substance over form" in determining the existence of a controlled entity.

Industrial Equity Limited

Several matters from the collapse are still ongoing – over 15 years after "the collapse". Industrial Equity Limited (IEL) is worthy of particular mention:Survey of Companies/Organisations
, www.ilo.org. Refer to entry for Tooth & Co. Limited. Retrieved 20 July 2009. *IEL acquired

in 1989 as a wholly owned subsidiary. *AdSteam investment company Dextran purchased IEL from

Brierley Investments GL Limited is an investment company listed on the Singapore Exchange. Founded as Brierley Investments in 1961, it was formerly listed on the Australian, London and New Zealand exchanges. History Brierley Investments was founded by Ron Brierley i ...

in November 1989. *Dextran was one-third each owned by AdSteam, David Jones & Tooth. *IEL delisted in 1990.Industrial Equity Limited (IEL)
, Status: Delisted from ASX 11 July 1990. delisted.com.au Retrieved on 22 July 2009. *Woolworths floated in 1993 – very successfully – "it was floated in the biggest share sale (at that time) in Australia's history" *The

Australian Taxation Office The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is an Australian statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Australian federal taxation system, superannuatio ...

(ATO) ruled to disallow IEL $524m of deductions. *IEL challenged this ruling – the matter has been before the courts on and off ever since – "One of the largest and longest tax disputes in Australian history." *In December 2007, IEL was given leave to challenge the ATO ruling. *"While prime assets such as Woolworths and Adsteam Marine were floated, IEL and its tax liabilities remained within the corporate shell of Adelaide Steamship when it was renamed Residual Assco Group Ltd in 1997 and delisted in 1999. Residual Assco has no operating businesses but remains active while several IEL tax disputes wind their way through the courts." *Residual Assco's October 2007 annual report notes that the group holds $429 million "on deposit pending resolution of the outstanding matters between IEL and the ATO". At that time, the ATO were claiming $7.3 billion. *The dispute continues; the Chairman's address to the concurrent AGMs of Residual Assco, DJL and Tooth on 14 November 2008 is rather bleak. The Tooth & Co. Ltd. Annual Financial Report to 30 June 2008 summarises the then current situation in detail. *Other sources of information include "The Three Ugly Sisters", Australian Financial Review, 24 December 1999 and Tooth and Co.#Decline.

Court cases

The Adelaide Steamship Company was involved in two court cases which led to changes in the way the Australian Constitution and Australian Law is interpreted.

The Engineers' Case

Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd ''Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd'', commonly known as the ''Engineers case'', . was a landmark decision by the High Court of Australia on 31 August 1920. The immediate issue concerned the Commonwealth's power under ...

'',. (commonly known as the ''Engineers' Case'') was a landmark Australian court case decided in the High Court of Australia on 31 August 1920. From a legal perspective, this case is widely regarded as one of the most important cases ever decided by the High Court of Australia, for it swept away the earlier doctrines of implied intergovernmental immunities and

reserved State powers Reserved is a Polish apparel retailer headquartered in Gdańsk, Pomerania, Poland. It was founded in 1999 and remains the largest company of the LPP group, which has more than 1,700 retail stores located in over 20 countries and also owns such ...

, firmly establishing the modern basis for the legal understanding of federalism in Australia and

Australian constitutional law Australian constitutional law is the area of the law of Australia relating to the interpretation and application of the Constitution of Australia. Several major doctrines of Australian constitutional law have developed. Background Constitution ...

. In essence, this meant that decisions of the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Court were binding on State governments. and that the constitution is no longer read in a way which attempts to preserve the power of the states. When providing his judgement on ''

Strickland v Rocla Concrete Pipes Ltd ''Strickland v Rocla Concrete Pipes Ltd'',. also known as the ''Concrete Pipes Case'', is a High Court of Australia case that discusses the scope of the corporations power in section 51(xx) of the Australian Constitution. This was an important c ...

'', (where the Court unanimously rejected the decision in ''

Huddart, Parker & Co Pty Ltd v Moorehead ''Huddart, Parker & Co Pty Ltd v Moorehead''. is a leading decision by the High Court of Australia that dealt with two issues under the Australian Constitution, the identification and extent of judicial power that is vested in the courts and t ...

'',. holding that it was based on the rejected doctrine of reserved State powers, which was abolished in Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd), Chief Justice Barwick stated ''"the earlier doctrine virtually reversed the Constitution".'' per Barwick CJ at p 489.

ASIC vs former Adsteam directors and auditors

"Residual Assco and

Australian Securities & Investments Commission The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is an independent commission of the Australian Government tasked as the national corporate regulator. ASIC's role is to regulate company and financial services and enforce laws to pro ...

(ASIC) vs former Adsteam directors and auditors.Adsteam Settlement
, 2 November 2000, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Retrieved 30 June 2009. *The litigation was commenced by ASIC in April 1994 under section 50 of the ASC Law, in the name of the Adelaide Steamship Company (renamed Residual Assco. in 1997) and dragged on, unresolved, for 6 years before a settlement was agreed. *The essential allegation was that there had been an overstatement of profit in the company's accounts and that its investments in 4 subsidiary companies had not been accurately recorded. As a result dividends had not been paid out of profits. * The proceedings involved numerous decisions and important regulatory outcomes, including: ** In May 1994 proceedings were brought by Deloitte under the ADJR Act challenging ASIC'sdecision to begin and carry on the Adsteam proceedings. The ADJR proceedings took approximately two and a half years to be finally determined. ASIC's decision was ultimately upheld.. ** "The Adelaide Steamship Co Limited and Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Janis Gunars Spalvins, Michael James Kent, Neil Leslie Branford, Kenneth William Russell, Michael Stevenson Gregg, Deloitte Haskings & Sells and Deloitte Ross Tohmatsu", more concisely referred to as "Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd v Spalvins",.Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd v Spalvins 1998 152 ALR 418
(1998). Networked Knowledge. Retrieved 1 July 2009. This was an appeal by ASIC against an earlier ruling in favour of Spalvins et al. regarding client legal privilege. The appeal was only partially successful and ASIC were required to produce Counsel's advice on which privilege had been waived. ** In June 1999 the High Court held that the constitution did not allow State judicial power to be vested in the Federal Court.. As a result, the Adsteam proceedings, which had been brought in the Federal Court, could not proceed because the Federal Court did not have jurisdiction to hear them. ** Following the introduction of the ''Federal Courts (State Jurisdiction) Act'' 1999 (SA), which was intended to address some of the effects of the decision in Re Wakim, an application was made in the Supreme Court of South Australia effectively to have the Adsteam proceeding transferred to that Court. The validity of the relevant provisions of the ''Federal Courts (State Jurisdiction) Act'' was challenged by some of the defendant directors. On 25 May 2000 the High Court upheld the validity of section 11 of that Act.. (The application to have the matter transferred was still pending before the Supreme Court of South Australia at the time of the settlement.)

Timeline

*1875 Company formed September 1875 *1875 Company incorporated 8 October 1875 *1882 Amalgamated with Spencer's Gulf Steamship Co Ltd *1882 Bought out William Whinham *1883 Bought out Anderson & Marshall *1887 Locks out members of the Captains & Officers' Society when it seeks to affiliate with the Maritime Labour Council *1900 Liquidated and reconstructed *1903 Adelaide building at 17

Currie Street Currie Street is a main street in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia.Map
of the

1
https://web.archive.org/web/20110406151600/http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/02750/B2584.htm
3
https://archive.today/20121127140348/http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/18250/B18019.htm 4]) *1904 Adelaide Steamship Company building constructed in Melbourne *1911 SS Yongala lost without trace (discovered in 1958) *1912

SS Koombana SS ''Koombana'' was a late Edwardian-era passenger, cargo and mail carrying steamship. From March 1909 to March 1912, she operated coastal liner services between Fremantle, Western Australia and various ports in the northwest of that state. ...

lost without trace *1914–1918 World War I – several ships were requisitioned *1915 Took over Coast Steamships Limited *1920 Liquidated and reconstructed *1920

(The Engineers' Case) *1933 First

John Martin's Christmas Pageant The National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant is a parade held annually in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Established in 1933, the event is staged annually on the second Saturday of November, typically from 9.30am except 2020 and 2021 wh ...

*1935 Formed Adelaide Airways Limited *1936 Purchased

*1936 Merged with Holyman's Airways to form

*1939 Currie St (Adelaide) building changed significantly (Images
1
https://archive.today/20121127050720/http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/12500/B12331.htm 2]) *1939–1945 World War II – several ships were requisitioned *1940s Diversified into towage, shipbuilding, and the shipping of salt, coal and sugar. *1957 Sold Australian National Airways to Ansett Transport Industries *1964 Interstate fleet merged with McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co to form Associated Steamship Limited *1964 The world's first purpose-built container ship was constructed *1965 Acquired 40% interest in

Bulkships Bulkships was an Australian shipping company. History Bulkships was founded in 1958 by the Adelaide Steamship Company, Howard Smith and McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co as a bulk carrier operator.Tooth & Co Tooth and Co was the major brewer of beer in New South Wales, Australia. The company owned a large brewery on Broadway in Sydney from 1835 until 1985, known as the Kent Brewery. It was historically one of Australia's oldest companies, having be ...

acquired

*1977 Bulkships sold; ceased connection with ship owning and operating *1980 Acquired a substantial interest in

*1980 Adelaide Steamship Company building in Melbourne destroyed *1981 Acquired Tooth & Co (via David Jones (Properties) Pty Ltd) *1981 Acquired Georges (store), Georges (via David Jones) *1982 Acquired

Buckley & Nunn Buckley & Nunn (also known as Buckley's) was a department store in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It first opened its doors in 1851 as a drapery store and, in its heyday, competed creditably as a department store with Myer (1900). It occupied ...

(via David Jones) *1983 Sold Tooth & Co brewing interests to

*1985 Acquired John Martins *1989 Industrial Equity Limited purchased from

*1990 Wine interests sold to

*1990 Share price crash *1991 Adsteam commenced liquidation of assets *1991

floated *1993 Woolworths floated *1993 Adsteam Marine created as the last remaining operational division of Adelaide Steamship Company. *1994 The

ruled to disallow IEL $524m of deductions regarding the Woolworth float *1994 "Adelaide Steamship Company (via ASIC) vs former Adsteam directors and auditors" commenced *1995 David Jones floated *1997 Adelaide Steamship Company renamed Residual Assco Group *1997 Adsteam Marine floated *1999 Liquidation of assets completed – Residual Assco Limited delisted – "Residual Assco has no operating businesses but remains active while several IEL tax disputes wind their way through the courts." *2000 "Residual Assco (via ASIC) vs former AdSteam directors and auditors" reached settlement *2001 Adsteam Marine acquired tug operations of

for A$500m *2006 Adsteam Marine acquired by AP Moeller-Maersk *2007 Residual Assco's annual report notes that the group holds $429 million "on deposit pending resolution of the outstanding matters between IEL and the ATO" *2007 IEL given leave to challenge the ATO ruling

People

Throughout its history, many people have been involved with, played significant roles in and/or been associated with the company: *

(1824–1915) – founding director. Brother-in-law of founding director Sir

, with whom he was partner in Elder Smith and Company. (Barr Smith married Elder's sister Joanna.)van Dissel, Dirk (1976)
'Smith, Robert Barr (1824–1915)'
. Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, Melbourne University Press, pp 153–154. Retrieved 9 July 2009. * Tom Elder Barr Smith (1863–1941) – director (eldest son of Robert Barr Smith) * Sir Tom Elder Barr Smith (1904–1968) – director and deputy chairman (1960–1968) (son of Tom Elder Barr Smith) *

William Beardmore, 1st Baron Invernairn William Beardmore, 1st Baron Invernairn DL (16 October 1856 – 9 April 1936), known as Sir William Beardmore, Bt, between 1914 and 1921, was a British industrialist, founding the eponymous William Beardmore and Company. Background and education ...

(1856–1936) – shipbuilder * William Berry (1857–1928) – completed his qualifying sea service with the company and went on to become their chief engineer * Neil Leslie Branford – Chief Accountant of John Martins, AdSteam Company Secretary from the mid-1980s to early 1990s * Sir

Ron Brierley Ronald Alfred Brierley (born 2 August 1937) is a New Zealand born investor and corporate raider, chairman and director of a number of companies in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. He founded R. A. Brierley Investments Ltd (BIL; renamed ''Guo ...

– New Zealand investor, corporate raider, and chairman and director of a number of companies in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. He founded

in 1961 and purchased his first shareholdings in Industrial Equity Limited (IEL) in 1964. IEL purchased Woolworths in 1989, and later in 1989 Brierly sold IEL to the AdSteam Group. * George Calder (1839–1903) – mariner * David Charleston (1848–1934) – marine engineer and unionist who worked for the company after migrating to Australia in 1884 * Bruce Corlett – Chairman of Adsteam Marine Limited *

Charles D'Ebro Charles Abraham D'Ebro (1850–1920) was a London-born architect who designed many important buildings in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia during the late Victorian and early Edwardian periods. Many of these buildings are now preserved under heri ...

(1850–1920) – architect who in 1904 designed the Adelaide Steamship Building in Melbourne * Deloitte Haskings & Sells and Deloitte Ross Tohmatsu – Adsteam auditors (?-1990) * Frank Duffy (1852–1936) – High Court Judge involved in the decision of the '' Engineers' Case'' * Sir Walter Gordon Duncan (1885–1963) – Director between 1932 and 1960 * Francis Vivian Dunstan – father of

Don Dunstan Donald Allan Dunstan (21 September 1926 – 6 February 1999) was an Australian politician who served as the 35th premier of South Australia from 1967 to 1968, and again from 1970 to 1979. He was a member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for th ...

; former Premier of South Australia; manager of the company's Fiji office from 1916 until the family's return to Adelaide in 1933 * Sir

(1818–1897) – founding director. Brother-in-law of founding director

, with whom he was partner in Elder Smith and Company. Elder never married, but Barr Smith named his first-born Tom Elder Barr Smith.Gosse, Fayette. (1972
'Elder, Sir Thomas (1818–1897)'
, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, Melbourne University Press, pp 133–134. Retrieved 11 July 2009. *

Alexander Forrest Alexander Forrest CMG (22 September 1849 – 20 June 1901) was an explorer and surveyor of Western Australia, and later also a member of parliament. As a government surveyor, Forrest explored many areas of remote Western Australia, particu ...

(1849–1901) – negotiated in 1893 the contract with the Adelaide Steamship for serving Western Australian ports * Clayton Frederick – Chief Executive Officer between 1993 and 2004, during Adsteam Marine's expansion to become Australia's largest towage operator * James Gosse (1876–1952) – director and chairman * Michael Stevenson Gregg – director (?-1990) * Robert Holmes à Court – Australia's first billionaire; a feared corporate raider of the 1980s who set up Bell Resources, a company 20% owned by the AdSteam Group * Sir Ivan Nello Holyman (1896–1957) – merged Holymany's Airways with AdSteam's Adelaide Airways in 1936, and initiated moves which led in November 1936 to the formation of

* Henry Keep (1863–1905) – shipping agent for AdSteam in Fremantle, 1893–1897 * Michael James Kent – director (?-1990) *

Herbert Lloyd Major General Herbert William Lloyd, (18 November 1883 – 10 August 1957) was an Australian Army officer who served in the First and Second World Wars. Early life and career Herbert William Lloyd was born in South Yarra, Melbourne, the son ...

(1883–1957) – board member of several companies, including the Adelaide Steamship Company, from 1946 to his retirement * George R L Macdonald – company secretary (1990–1994) and corporate lawyer *

Malcolm McEacharn Sir Malcolm Donald McEacharn (8 February 1852 – 10 March 1910) was Mayor of Melbourne from 1897 to 1900. He was a well-known Australian shipping magnate in the early part of the twentieth century and successfully stood for the Division of Me ...

(1852–1910) – shipowner and partner of McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co which merged with the Adelaide Steamship Co in 1964 * Andrew McIlwraith (1844–1932) – shipowner and partner of McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co which merged with the Adelaide Steamship Co in 1964 * Hugo Muecke (1842–1929) – director of many companies, including the Adelaide Steamship * Guy Packard (1884–1963) – Manager and later Director; also had financial interests in Australian National Airways * Daniel Poole DCM &

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

(1882–1959) – recommended for the VC during

; worked for both McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co and Adelaide Steamship Company * Robert Dalrymple Ross (1827–1887) – Chairman of the company during the 1870s and 1880s * Ken Russell (Kenneth William Russell, ?-1999) – Chairman (?-1990) * David J Ryan – held various senior positions in the company from 1997 to 2002; foundation Managing Director of Adsteam Marine Limited * Charles Seymour (1853–1924) – seaman, journalist and militant unionist who worked for the company in the late 1800s * John Spalvins (Janis Gunars Spalvins) – Managing Director (1977–1990) * Andrew Tennant (1835–1913) – founding directorCombe, Gordon D (1976)
'Tennant, Andrew (1835–1913)'
. Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, Melbourne University Press, pp 255–256. Retrieved 9 July 2009. *

Alfred Wells Alfred Wells (May 27, 1814 – July 18, 1867) was a U.S. Representative from New York. Biography Alfred Wells was born in Dagsboro, Sussex County, Delaware on May 27, 1814. He pursued classical studies, and later studied law in the offic ...

– designer of original company building at 17 Currie Street, Adelaide * Robert Wright – executive director, 1991–1995

Company Archives

The archives of the Adelaide Steamship Company are held by the Noel Butlin Archives Centre at the Australian National University in Canberra.

References and notes

*Clarke, Frank, Graeme Dean and Kyle Oliver (2003)
''Corporate Collapse: Accounting, Regulatory and Ethical Failure''
2nd Edition. Published by Cambridge University Press. . .Front matterIndex
/small>

External links

Australian Light Horse Studies Centre
{{Business in Australia, state=collapsed Australian ship owners Defunct shipping companies of Australia Shipbuilding companies of Australia Maritime history of Australia Corporate raiders Companies based in Adelaide Legal history of Australia History of Port Adelaide Transport companies established in 1875 Australian companies established in 1875