Australian Mercantile, Land & Finance Company Limited

This company was registered in England on 5 November 1863 as the Australian Mortgage Land and Finance Company Limited. The company's first Australian Office was opened in Brisbane in the same year. The company carried on business as wool brokers, pastoral finance, stock and property agents and as a pastoral company in NSW, Victoria, the Riverina and Queensland. In 1865 the business moved to Victoria with the purchase of the firm of Gibbs Ronald and Company of Melbourne and Geelong, the Australian branch of the London firm of Richard Gibbs and Company. The partners of the two firms continued their work in the new company with the Australian branch managed by R B Ronald in Geelong and by Sir James MacBain in Melbourne. Richard Gibbs and Byron L Ronald joined the London Board. In November 1910 the company changed its name to the Australian Mercantile Land and Finance Company Limited (AML&F Co Ltd). In 1971 AML&F Co Ltd was taken over by the UK firm Wood Hall Trust Limited. The company operated under the name AML&F Co Ltd until Elders IXL took over Wood Hall Trust Limited in 1981. Elders Pastoral Division was established incorporating all the pastoral interests of the AML&F Co Ltd.