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A. M. Bickford and Sons was one of the first manufacturing chemists in South Australia and until 1930 one of the State's most significant family owned companies. In 1930, they amalgamated with half a dozen other similar Australian companies to form "Drug Houses of Australia" (DHA), which very successfully continued to produce the "A. M. Bickford and Sons" products: the "drugs" and "chemicals" under the DHA brand; the cordials and soft drinks under the "A. M. Bickford and Sons" brand. In the late 1960s, DHA became the target of a corporate raider and asset stripper, and by the mid-1970s DHA collapsed under the burden of servicing the imposed massive levels of debt. What was left was split up and sold. Reckitt & Colman acquired the major "drugs" and "chemicals" products and brands, and other people and companies acquired other bits. Melburnian Peter Abbott purchased the pharmacy products, eucalyptus oil operations, and the soft drink products. The pharmacy products were on-sold; the eucalyptus oil operations were incorporated into "FGB"; and the soft drink products continued on under the revived "A. M. Bickford and Sons" brand. In the late 1980s FGB decided to concentrate on their "core businesses" under the FGB brand, and sold the soft drink businesses and now established-for-over-a-century Bickford brand names – the history of the Bickford's products and company names between 1987 and 1999 is not clear. In 1999 the soft drink business and company names were purchased by the Kotses family. "Bickford's" once again became a South Australian family owned business, and continues to be known for its range of cordials and flavourings which continue to be made today to a similarly high standard by Bickford's Australia. ==Foundation & establishment (1839–1864)== ===William Bickford (1815–1850)=== William Bickford (18 August 1815 – 11 September 1850) was the seventh child (of fourteen) of a well-to-do couple of West Alvington of Devon, England, but when his father died the greater part of his fortune went to his eldest son by an earlier marriage, and his second family, though provided for, had to secure their own future. For the fifteen-year-old William, that meant taking an apprenticeship to Mr Buxton, a druggist.〔Scales, Marjorie ''An Alchemist's Dream'' pub. Ronald F. Bickford 1990 ISBN 0-7316-9106-7〕 In September 1838, aged 23, the chemist's assistant left England from Plymouth,〔 rounded the Cape of Good Hope in December,〔(The letters of William Bickford ) to his relatives in England in the period 1838–1850, Archives of the State Library of South Australia. (Click on the "Archival items" tab for a list of the letters.)〕 and arrived in Port Adelaide on 15 February 1839 on the barque Platina.〔〔 Though he had dreams of becoming a shepherd in South Australia, soon after his arrival he was working as assistant in the dispensary attached to the North Terrace surgery of one Dr Bright at a salary of 40/- (£2) a week with board and lodging provided. On 18 August 1839, his 24th birthday, he married Ann Margaret Garrett, whom he had met on the trip from Portsmouth.〔〔(Adelaide's first chemist ), The Letters of William Bickford, ''The Register'', Saturday 13 June 1925, pg.7. Retrieved 30 January 2011 ''William was a diligent letter writer; a collection of his letters was found in a deed box in the 1920s, and they were placed in the archives of the State Library of South Australia. A two part article summarising their contents appeared in "The Register", part I on Saturday 13 June 1925, part II the following Saturday.〕 They were soon expecting their first child, but it died shortly after birth on 6 June 1840, and Ann was seriously ill for some time.〔 In March 1840, William wrote that Dr and Mrs Bright had left the colony for New Zealand, (leaving William to deal with his creditors), and that he had secured another position as manager of a retail shop and dispensary owned by a partnership of two surgeons at a salary of £3 per week.〔 Despite an economic downturn in the colony, his business thrived. He left the security of the dispensary and by September 1840 had opened his own shop in Hindley Street near Rosina Street with borrowed capital of £220.〔 It, too, prospered, and soon he moved into larger premises at 67 Hindley Street opposite Club Lane.〔〔(Mr Harding Bickford ), ''The Advertiser'' 31 March 1898 p.6 accessed 31 January 2011 Harding William Bickford (1877–1919) was the youngest son of Harry (1843–1927) ''The article reports on "A Valedictory Social" held for Mr Harding Bickford prior to his departure for England to "improve his knowledge of pharmacy". The gathering was presided over by Mr William Bickford (jr. – his uncle), who provided a summary of the history of the company, its key personnel, its locations and its business.''〕 As business flourished, the wholesale lines became the larger part of the firm's business.〔(Blue Stone ), ''South Australian Register'', 8 April 1843, p.1 col.1 Advertisement for the sale of 700lbs of Blue Stone (ie.copper sulphate) "at a low price". Retrieved 31 January 2011〕 In April 1841 he wrote "Business is going on prosperously, and I have a comfortable home at my own fire side and a good wife, who studies my interest in every respect". Ann was very supportive of her husband and was able to keep his shop running during any forced absence, jury duty for instance.〔 Their first son, William, was born on 19 November 1841, followed by Harry in February 1843, and Elizabeth in November 1844. In December 1845 they lost a baby, (Eulalia), so William decided to move his family away from the unsanitary conditions of the city. He purchased 16 acres (6.4 ha) of land at Glen Osmond, "just 3 miles from the Adelaide city centre", and in the winter of 1846 built a house, later to be called "Benacre",〔"Benacre" was named after the village of Benacre in Suffolk, and the neighbouring (Benacre Estate ).〕 moving the family there before the onset of the next summer. He commuted daily to his business in the city. They lost another baby, (James), in 1848, but Edward was born in 1849. William was concerned with the development of Adelaide. In 1847 he was one of the founders of the South Australian Institute (another was business competitor Francis Faulding).〔(South Australian Institute ) ''South Australian Advertiser'' 27 October 1863 p.4 accessed 5 March 2011〕 In February 1850, William wrote that he had established a garden and had planted fruit trees and vines. However, he did not live to enjoy the fruits, dying on 11 September 1850 at the age of 35 of "brain fever", after a 3-day illness, leaving his wife pregnant (with Mary) and with four young children, (William, Harry, Elizabeth and Edward) to care for.〔〔(Adelaide's first chemist (part 2) ), The Letters of William Bickford, ''The Register'', Saturday 20 June 1925, pg.8. Retrieved 30 January 2011〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bickford's Australia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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