History

Celebrating key milestones in our development

When you’ve been around for over 124 years, it’s only natural that you’d have a story to tell. Here are a few highlights in the The Trust Company story as we grew from a single office in downtown Melbourne to offices throughout Australia and southern Asia.

1885
In this year a sudden inflow of wealth from the Victorian goldfields was instrumental in establishing a trustee company based on similar structures already established in South Africa. Known as The Union Trustees, Executors and Administrators Company Limited, it was incorporated in Victoria for two purposes:

  • To act as a trustworthy agent to hold and manage businesses and financial assets for families of varying individuals travelling back to England for long periods
  • To take on the role of executor/administrator of a deceased estate.

The first directors were John Blyth, Robert Jonathan Jeffray, The Hon. Henry Cuthbert, Henry Nicholas Loughnan, Francis Henty and Nathan Thornley.

1889
Four years later The Union Trustee Company of Australia Limited was amalgamated from a number of other companies. These were:

  • The Australian Natives Trustees Executors and Agency Company Limited
  • The Colonial Permanent Trustee Executor and Agency Company Limited
  • Guardian Trustees Executors and Agency Company Limited
  • The Union Trustees Executors and Administrators Company of Australia Limited 

1890
This amalgamation quickly resulted in the company expanding interstate to establish an office in Queensland.

1911
Skip forward a couple of decades and a steady period of growth leads to the construction of the company’s first office building, The Union Trustee Building, at 333 Collins Street, Melbourne.

1914
Three years later the first office in New South Wales is opened and The Union Trustee Company of Australia Limited becomes the first trustee company to be incorporated in three states.

1957
Trust has always played an active role in helping the community. In the fifties Australia’s most prestigious and internationally acclaimed literary award, The Miles Franklin Literary Award, for which we continue to act as trustee, was first awarded to Patrick White for his novel Voss. The gala event was opened by Sir Robert Menzies.

1962
In this year the company amalgamated with The Fidelity Trustee Company Limited to become The Union-Fidelity Trustee Company of Australia Limited.

1965
This is the year the Portia Geach Memorial Award, Australia's prestigious portrait prize for female artists, was first awarded to Jean Appleton for her painting Self Portrait.  We continue to act as trustee for this important Australian award as well.

1970
A few years later we are appointed trustee for The Westgate Bridge Education Fund for the dependants of those workers that died in the collapse.

1985
To celebrate the company’s centenary we launch the Centenary Foundation.  Now known as the Trust Foundation, for over 20 years this perpetual charitable trust has helped to care for, maintain, support and educate Australians of all ages. 

1988
In the late eighties we change our name to Trust Company of Australia Limited (“Trust”).

2002
Now into the new millennium, Trust merges with Permanent Trustee Company Limited to become one of the largest trustee companies in Australia.

2005
Trust establishes a securitisation trustee joint venture with The Bank of New York.

2006
As a leading specialist in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), recently Trust expanded this business within the Institutional Services division into the Singapore market. Reflecting this expansion, we changed our registered name to Trust Company Limited.

2007
Trust moves its Melbourne office to the ASX building at 530 Collins Street.

2008
Trust sells its 50% interest in its securitisation trustee joint venture to The Bank of New York Mellon. Jonathan Sweeney resigns ending 30 years of family stewardship.

2009
John Atkin joins as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.

2010
Change of name to The Trust Company and implementation of new brand.

2011
Acquisition of New Zealand Guardian Trust.