R. W. Miller was an Australian company that had interests in

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

, pubs and shipping. The company was named after its founder Robert William Miller (1879-1958).

History

R. W. Miller was founded in 1923 as a colliery proprietor and coal dealer. It became involved in the coastal coal-carrying trade of New South Wales to convey coal between Newcastle and Sydney. R. W. Miller owned many coal mines in the Hunter Valley. In 1942, a brewery was purchased in Petersham. This was followed by the purchase of many pubs. In 1967, the Miller's Brewery was sold to Tooheys, followed by the pubs in 1968. In the late-1960s and early-1970s, TNT,

Ampol Ampol Limited is an Australian petroleum company headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales. Ampol is the largest transport energy distributor and retailer in Australia, with more than 1,900 Ampol-branded stations across the country . It also ope ...

and Howard Smith built up substantial shareholdings with takeover offers by the latter two resulting in a protracted takeover battle resulting in an important legal case and subsequent appeal to the

Privy council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

, '' Howard Smith Ltd v Ampol Petroleum Ltd.'' In 1979, Howard Smith's shareholding was increased to 67% in 1979 when it acquired Ampol's shareholding and in February 1985 it took 100% ownership. In 1988, R. W. Miller merged with Coal & Allied.Coal & Allied Rebuilds in Hunter
''

Australian Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...

'' 30 September 1988

References

{{Reflist Coal companies of Australia Companies based in Sydney Companies formerly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange Defunct shipping companies of Australia Hospitality companies of Australia 1923 establishments in Australia