11 May 1931 to 11 May 2006

75 years and going strong

Today is a time for us to pause and reflect on where we began, what we have been doing and where we are headed.

Where it all began
The Cameron family arrived from Scotland in 1852 and settled in the Guyra area. In 1878 at the age of 28 Norman Cameron's father selected a property in the Aberfoyle area east of Armidale which he named CARNDHU. In 1902 in order to educate his family he sold CARNDHU and eventually moved to the mining town of Hillgrove.

On Monday, 11 May 1931 at the age of 23 and having obtained qualification through the Metropolitan Business College in Sydney, Norman Paterson Cameron commenced practice in Guyra under the name Cameron & Cameron. His premises consisted of one room in the premises of the Guyra Argus in Bradley Street.

It was clearly a courageous act to commence business during the Great Depression. Norman Cameron later wrote…in addition to a stout heart and an egotistical evaluation of my professional ability, I was able to introduce capital to the extent of ₤28.0.0. In our terms $56.00!

The first two clients of Cameron & Cameron are of particular interest.

Wednesday, 13 May 1931
Appointed honorary auditor of the Guyra Chamber of Commerce.
A local storekeeper asked if the firm would attempt to collect some outstanding debts.
Saturday, 16 May 1931
With collection of a 2/6 (25 cents) debt the first fee of sixpence was earned.

While the sixpence fee sounds somewhat modest it should be remembered that the fee for a fairly large tax return would have been 10/6 ($1.05).

By late 1931 the number of clients had multiplied and the practice was firmly established …quite a few grazing jobs, two motor garages, a hotel, stock and station agent, the local electricity supply company, a couple of small stores and two butcher shops. Significantly an invaluable association had been formed with the leading solicitor in the region, Mr Quentin Biddulph.

From humble beginnings the practice grew and on 15 September 1948 at a cost of ₤1500.0.0 ($3000.00) the practice of J E W Wright & Co was purchased. The Armidale office was located in a narrow section (approx. three metres wide) of the Armidale Express building 115A Faulkner Street and the Uralla office (one day per week) in the Literary Institute, Bridge Street Uralla. Norman Cameron moved to Armidale in 1949.

Total fees derived from the Armidale/Uralla practice for the year ended 30 June 1949 were ₤1079.12.0 ($2159.20). Many of those client families remain clients today – Cameron, Carlon, Edmonds, Forster, House, Harvey, Bashford, Dewhurst, Moffat, Tombs, Waters, Morgan, Croft, Taylor, Wood, Schaeffer, Ball, Robertson and more.
On 1 July 1954 the original Guyra practice was sold to Cliff Allen – mainly due to the poor state of the road between Armidale and Guyra.

During the 1970's partners formed the view that in order to provide superior service for clients and enhanced prospects for staff the firm should expand its reach throughout the north and northwest. Considerable acquisition and consolidation activity was to follow:

01/01/1973    Allan A Rose & Co – Armidale
01/04/1977    Rodgers & Russell – Walcha
01/07/1977    Office opened in Glen Innes
01/05/1981    Robert Lee & Co – Glen Innes
01/12/1984    R C Laurence & Co – Warialda
31/03/1985    Ian Witherdin – Inverell
31/03/1989    Hamilton Eshman & Co – Inverell
01/09/1998    Murray & Allen – Armidale and Guyra (the original practice)
01/08/2004    Rainger & Associates - Inverell

Acquisitions have also resulted in name changes. Cameron & Cameron to Cameron & Kirk to Cameron Kirk Rose to WHK Cameron Kirk Rose and finally to WHK Camerons.  Less of a mouth full for sure.

Today the firm is genuinely regional with offices located in Warialda, Inverell, Glen Innes, Guyra, Armidale & Walcha with a staff of one hundred. There is a strong emphasis on recruiting and retaining the best. One fifth of the staff has been with the firm for more than twenty years. All services are supported by the latest technology.

As the pre eminent and largest accounting practice in the region it has been necessary to constantly expand services to stay ahead of ever increasing client needs. Services now include Financial Planning, Superannuation – planning and compliance, Taxation and GST advice and processing, Estate and Succession planning, Business Advice, Audit and Mediation.

Undoubtedly the best decision of all was made on 1 February 2000 when the firm joined the WHK Group of Accountants and Financial Planners operating throughout eastern Australia and New Zealand.

The twenty two firms that make us the WHK Group constitute the:

• the fifth largest accounting group in Australasia
• the largest regional accounting group in Australasia
• a publicly listed company in Australia
• the largest provider of services to Small-Medium enterprises in Australasia

Each WHK firm is independently managed with additional benefits coming from the ability to benchmark with similar practices, regular peer reviews, specialised weekly professional development and application of Best Practice Best Process to all client services. The WHK advantage is unique and provides the opportunity to call on virtually unlimited resources from within the group.

Following retirement of Max Browning after 51 years service, Sam Sullivan has taken over as Chief Executive. Sam Sullivan was previously Chief Executive of WHK Thomsons, a Mildura based accountancy practice within WHK Group and with branches in Broken Hill and Loxton (SA). He comes with a wealth of experience in all aspects of rural accountancy, audit and financial planning.

WHK Cameron Kirk Rose and all of our staff are looking forward to many more growing years ahead and we thank all those people that have been (or will be) a part of our history.