How it started
Early history (1839–1939)
With the fledgling colony of South Australia only three years old, Alexander Lang Elder arrived in Port Misery (now Port Adelaide) in January 1839 aboard the family-owned schooner Minerva as the only cabin passenger, under Captain David Reid. He went there to set up business and explore opportunities for his family's Scottish-based merchant and shipping business. Alexander's brothers, William, George, and Thomas joined Alexander. Out of the four of them, only Thomas stayed in Australia. Thomas moved to Adelaide in 1854 and worked with George for a year.
After George left, Thomas formed Elder, Stirling & Co with Edward Stirling, Robert Barr Smith, and John Taylor. On Stirling and Taylor's retirement in 1863, Barr Smith and Thomas Elder formed Elder Smith and Co.
In 1888, Elder Smith and Co. was amalgamated with its subsidiary Elder's Wool & Produce Co. Ltd, and Peter Waite became the chairman of directors of the new company, which was called Elder Smith & Co. Ltd. Elders profits more than doubled from 1918 to 1928, with Peter Waite as chairman until his death in 1922, followed by Tom Elder Barr Smith, son of Robert.
At some period during the 19th century, the company employed bounty hunters to prevent the theft of sheep by Aboriginal people; Elders paid the hunters for each pair of ears they handed in. Crimes like these were deliberately expunged from Elder's records by specifically hired staff in the late 20th century.
In 1929 Walter Bagot, of Woods, Bagot, Jory & Laybourne Smith designed the Elders Currie Street offices.
From Wikipedia’s article on Elders Limited, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2