Deposit Z163 - J Wright and Sons deposit

The firm of J Wright & Sons was established in 1853 as a partnership between Adam Anderson, James Wright and John Sharp and continued until 1864 when John Sharp branched out to form John Sharp & Sons Pty Ltd. Adam Anderson retired ten years later and the firm continued with the Wright family. Originally timber importers and merchants, the company expanded its activities to include reafforestation, silviculture, seed development, timber milling, and importing and distributing motor vehicles. From June 1949 the company's name changed to J Wright & Sons Pty Ltd. In 1956 the company took over B R Boon Pty Ltd, later the Carron Timber Company Pty Ltd. The firm acquired Somerville Joinery and Timber Mills Pty Ltd in 1958, H Beecham & Co Ltd in 1969 then trading as Beecham-Wright Pty Ltd, and the Victorian operations of the Kauri Timber Co Limited in 1978. The company's other subsidiaries included J Wright & Sons (Aust) Pty Ltd, H Beecham & Co Ltd, M W Motors Pty Ltd, H R Ryall & Co Pty Ltd, Victree Forests Pty Ltd, Victree (Stawell) Pty Ltd, and Victree Timber Products Pty Ltd. In February 1999 the company went into receivership but has since been reregistered.

Somerville Joinery and Timber Mills Pty Ltd was incorporated in May 1948 and owned by the Plummer family and their employees. The name was changed to Plummer's Somerville Joinery and Timber Mills Pty Ltd in 1954. The company faced continued shortages of cash for stock and repeatedly tried to raise more capital. Losses from the mid-1950s led to attempts to get other timber firms to take them over. J Wright and Sons eventually took over the firm in 1958.

H Beecham and Company Pty Ltd was registered in Victoria on 24 June 1914. In December 1969 the company was acquired by J Wright & Sons Pty Ltd, trading under the new name Beecham-Wright Pty Ltd.