Southwick, W.M.H.

William Mark Havelock Southwick was born in london in 1848 and came to Australia with his parents in about 1854, settling in the Mudgee area of New South Wales. He later moved to Warwick, where he established a grocery business and in 1875 married Emma Anne Crombie. In 1881, the couple moved to Brisbane. For seven years, Southwick was a commercial traveller for Robert Harper & Company, and in 1897 went into business as a grocer in Caxton Street, Paddington. In 1900, in addition to his grocery business, he established himself as a tea merchant in premises at 90 Queen Street. The following year, he moved to No 173 Queen Street. In 1901-2 he gave up the grocery business to concentrate on his dealings in tea, and moved again to 211 Queen Street, where he remained until 1908.

In 1909, he relocoated again, to 270 Queen Street, but only remained there for about three years, before moving to 488 Queen Street, near the Customs House. There he occupied the entire first floor of Uhl's saddlery building. William Southwick retired in 1917 and his younger son Percy took over and renamed the business, P.A. Southwick. However, also located at the same address was Southwick & Sons, pineapple growers, so W.M.H. obviously meant to keep active. It is believed he had some land at Woombye.

P.a. Southwick & Son went on to supply the rural trade, for which they used the name Atcherley & Dawson, having bought out this tea and coffee house. Many sheep and cattle stations in Queensland were supplied with their tea, ground coffee and manchester. The business was bought out by Robert Timms in 1965.

'Melba' tea, first blended in 1902 and named for Nellie Melba who was on her long-awaited first return tour to Australia, was a blend of green and black teas. It was described as 'china tea'. 'Amber', a black tea, was Southwick's chief blend.

From the description of 8106 Nellie Melba and W.M.H. Southwick Correspondence, 28 Oct 1902. (Libraries Australia). WorldCat record id: 755772006