A.G. Adams - clerk at Huddart Parker Ltd

The Huddart Parker building in Collins Street, Melbourne

c.1914

After leaving Melbourne Grammar School at the end of 1912, and prior to enlisting in the 1st AIF, A.G. Adams worked in the offices of the Huddart Parker shipping company as a clerk.

The image above depicts the art nouveau Melbourne offices of Huddart Parker Ltd at 466 Collins Street, central Melbourne. A.G. Adams worked in this building. The building is recognisable today. 

The Huddart Parker company was founded as a partnership in 1876 by Thomas J. Parker snr, James Huddart, John Traill and Thomas Webb. By 1910 Huddart Parker was ranked 24th in the top 100 companies in Australia. Its main operations were coastal shipping based in Victoria with regular cargo and passenger lines along coastal Victoria and north to Newcastle and Sydney and later to Fremantle in W.A and Tasmania. By 1914 Huddart Parker had also diversified into coal mining and other investments.

For A.G. Adams the environment at 466 Collins Street would not have been unfamiliar. In 1914, there were substantial family interests in this company with A.G. Adams' mother, Adah Emily Sherwood, being a major shareholder as well as her sister Florence Parker (married, no issue) and half-sister Marion (May) Parker (married, no issue). Their father was one of the founders of Huddart Parker. Adah's nephew, Thomas J. Parker and his two sisters were also substantial shareholders. Unfortunately, by 1912, when A.G. Adams joined the family company, his grandfather and only uncle had both died. This had a significant impact on the family's interests.  Ernest was only 38 when he died.

A.G. Adams' cousin (Ernest's only son), Thomas J. Parker Jr., was also involved in the firm in 1914. He was seven years older than A.G. Adams and the same age as A.G. Adams' elder brother, Arthur. Thomas J. Parker Jr. also served in the 1st AIF (more about him later). A.G. Adams' elder surviving brothers, Arthur and Harold, had chosen to be farmers and were working on sheep properties in the Riverina.

It would have been very important to Adah Emily Sherwood (nee Parker) to have one of her sons trained in the workings of the family company. Adah was educated in Melbourne, London and Germany. It is believed she was a strong-willed, intelligent woman and that she tried, unsuccessfully, to become a director on the board of Huddart Parker after her father and brother died (1900 and 1898 respectively). If she was not able to protect her interests and those of her sons by being involved in the decision making of the company she would have wanted her sons to be involved from an early age. Athol Gladwyn Adams was chosen, or he chose himself, to be directly involved in Huddart Parker limited. He started as a clerk.

In the next blog post I will write about the impact WW1 had on the firm and its employees.

With many thanks to D.A.J. Parker for the use of his archive material including the photograph above.