"When I left school at the end of 1956 my first full time job was with William Angliss & Co at their huge abattoirs at Footscray as a trainee Livestock Buyer. My immediate boss was Harold Tuppen who was Sir William Angliss’s nephew. I have a great deal of respect for the Angliss and Vestey families who gave me a start in life at a very tough time in our economy. (Vietnam War was raging)
The attached few words relate to both, with emphasis on Sir William’s membership for a number of years of our very own Rotary Club. As I said in the attached, ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’."
"A most pleasant day was enjoyed by many Rotarians and family members at the home of the late Dame Nellie Melba, Coombe Cottage on Wednesday.
One of our Club's early members was William Angliss who started his amazing business career by first opening a single retail butcher’s shop in Carlton in 1886. By the 1940’s William Angliss & Co. was the largest producer of meat and frozen meat exports in Australia and New Zealand.
Sir William whilst a member of our Club sold all his meat processing plants, abattoirs, in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory together with all his cattle stations. At the time of sale Angliss was the largest land owner in Australia.
He sold to an exceedingly wealthy British family who also owned The Eagle Star Insurance Company and the Blue Star Shipping Line which was used to transport the tens of thousands of tonnes of processed lamb carcasses to Britain after the Second War.
The British family who purchased all the assets of our late member Sir William Angliss is the Vestey family. A regular visitor Lord Sam Vestey, through heritage, is now the proud owner of Coombe Cottage and its associated vineyards.
(Seen below entertaining the Queen at 2009 Festival Cheltenham Racecourse.)
Once again the adage ‘apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ was demonstrated when current members of 'Angliss's Rotary Club' enjoyed the delightful fare of Vestey’s Coombe Cottage."
