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

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

s and

shipping Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...

. 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 A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

to convey coal between Newcastle and Sydney. R. W. Miller owned many

coal mines Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

in the

Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, spans the region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its ...

. In 1942, a

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

was purchased in Petersham. This was followed by the purchase of many

s. In 1967, the Miller's Brewery was sold to

Tooheys Tooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, Australia. It produces beer under the ''Tooheys'' and ''Hahn Brewery'' trademarks, and is part of the Lion (Australasian company), Lion beverages group which was acquired by the Japanese ...

, followed by the pubs in 1968. In the late-1960s and early-1970s,

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

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 1,800 Ampol-branded service stations across the country . Amp ...

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, ''

Howard Smith Ltd v Ampol Petroleum Ltd ''Howard Smith Ltd v Ampol Petroleum Ltd'' is a leading company law case, concerning the duty of directors to act only for "proper purposes". This duty has been codified into the Companies Act 2006 section 171, and arises particularly in cases i ...

.'' 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 is an Australia coal mining company. Operating mines in the Hunter Valley, it is a subsidiary of Yancoal. History Coal & Allied was formed in 1960 when Caledonian Collieries and J & A Brown & Abermain-Seaham Collieries merged. Ho ...

.Coal & Allied Rebuilds in Hunter
''

Australian Financial Review The ''Australian Financial Review'' (''AFR'') is an Australian compact daily newspaper with a focus on business, politics and economic affairs. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and has been published continuously since its foun ...

'' 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