When Sons of Gwalia shares traded above $10 in 2001, the Lalors' company had broken into the $1 billion league. Other memorable disappearances include Sons of Gwalia, OneTel, Mirabela Nickel, Babcock & Brown. The Sons of Gwalia debate has been raging ever since the High Court confirmed in 2007 that shareholders who were misled by the company could seek to … So what did bring Sons of Gwalia down? Born in Narrogin in south-western Western Australia, the brothers were descendants of Peter Lalor, leader of the Eureka Stockade rebellion at the Ballarat goldfields in 1854. Investigating those trading activities led the administrators to believe that executive chairman Peter Lalor and commercial and legal director Chris Lalor were also at fault. Ernst & Young will undoubtedly have a different version of events that will be put in court, but the administrators are alleging that for five years, year after year, the auditors signed books that had been cooked. To date, Sons of Gwalia Limited and Ion Limited are the two failed companies where there is a class action that involves shareholders seeking to claim as creditors of the companies in administration.5In June 2007 the administrators of Sons of Gwalia estimated a return of 12 cents in the dollar for all creditors, including shareholder claims of $250 million. When Sons of Gwalia shares traded above $10 in 2001, the Lalors' company had broken into the $1 billion league. 23 likes. For example, as at June 2007, some 5,344 shareholder claims had been made in the Sons of Gwalia administration, claiming a total of $250.5 million.9 The administrators of a deed of … In 2009, EY, the former auditors of Sons of Gwalia, agreed to a $125m settlement over their role in the gold miner's collapse in 2004. With a reputation for conservatism, the Lalors only appeared to become confrontational when stockbrokers put a sell recommendation on their stock or the press portrayed Sons of Gwalia in a negative light. I asked Andrew Love why the opportunity had not been taken. With a reputation for conservatism, the Lalors only appeared to become confrontational when stockbrokers put a sell recommendation on their stock or the financial press portrayed Sons of … Perhaps sometimes that's true, and their failure to smell the smoke coming under the door — as Colin Carter of Boston Consulting Group puts it — is not blameworthy. When the mine re-opened in 1923, there was an influx of people into Gwalia. So there you have it: the old additional services trick; accounting firms using audit as a foot in the door to make real money. DEC-2003: mine placed in care and maintenance after gold resources were exhausted. As their Gwalia empire grew over two decades through a series of takeovers and mergers, so too did the stature of the Lalor brothers in the gold industry and the broader community. The long-running saga of the Sons of Gwalia collapse has reached another milestone with the former mining company's auditor Ernst & Young agreeing to pay $125 million. The founders of the company, Peter and Chris Lalor, have disputed the administrators' version of events, but have not answered the allegations in detail. Market darling disappears in a year Essentially the company used a hedging operation that involved selling gold forward using put options. Sons of Gwalia went into administration on 30 August 2004, following a financial collapse, with debts exceeding $800 million after suffering from falling gold reserves and hedging losses. THE administrators' report into the collapse of Sons of Gwalia is an astounding document, detailing many years of stupidity and deception that will provide a welcome outlet for a securities regulator looking to recover its reputation and display its ferocity after the Steve Vizard fiasco. In 1900 work on the Sons of Gwalia mine was completed with a 50-head mill, and production soared to more than 90,000oz of gold. Hargovan and Harris, ‘Sons of Gwalia and Statutory Debt Subordination’, above n 78; Jason Harris and Anil Hargovan, ‘Sons of Gwalia: Navigating the Line between Membership and Creditor Rights in Corporate Insolvencies’ (2007) 25 Company and Securities Law Journal 7; Hargovan and Harris, ‘Sons of Gwalia: Policy Issues Raised’, above n 94. The 185-page report centres on the foreign exchange trading and gold hedging activities undertaken by chief financial officer Eardley Ross-Adjie, which, dating back to the mid 1990s, set the company up for its ultimate downfall. The little settlement that grew up around the Sons of Gwalia Mine in the late 1890s thrived until the final whistle blew on 28 December 1963, closing the mine and putting 250 men out of work. In Australia, the litigation surrounding the collapse of the . ASIC, meanwhile, has issued warrants against the pair and after the criticisms levelled at ASIC for going soft on Steve Vizard, it's easy to feel a bit sorry for them. The administrators say Ross-Adjie used a series of off balance sheet accounts to house the profits and losses from his gold and foreign exchange trading activities. He claimed he was a victim of misleading and deceptive conduct violating the Trade Practices Act, the Corporations Act and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act. Alan Kohler also presents finance on ABC TV news and is the host of ABC TV's Inside Business. Sons of Gwalia was a Western Australian mining company that mined gold, tantalum, spodumene, lithium and tin. Ernst & Young appears to have merely strolled down main street looking at the nice facades; the firm is now being sued by the administrators for breach of duty. While the report prefaces those claims with the term "may have", they are allegations in the writs issued against the Lalors. In yesterday's press briefing the lead administrator, Andrew Love, from Ferrier Hodgson, refused to comment on the role of the auditor, beyond referring to the writ that has been lodged. Marvel Loch Gold Mine. The cliff took a long time to arrive — August 2004, when the company collapsed owing about $1 billion, exactly five years after the option book could have been closed out for $74 million. The mine was also famous because it was founded and managed by Herbert Hoover, who went on to become the 31st president of the United States. What's more, more losses would have followed. Sons of Gwalia was Australia's third-largest gold producer and also controlled more than half the world's production of tantalum, before entering administration in … Mr Margaretic bought 20,000 shares 11 days before Sons of Gwalia went broke in August 2004. This almost always comes up after companies collapse and the auditors complain that too much is expected of them and that they don't have eyes in the back of their heads, you know. He was president of the WA Chamber of Minerals & Energy; inaugural director of the World Gold Council; deputy chairman of the Australian Gold Council and chairman of the Federal Government's Action Agenda into mineral exploration. When the Lalors left Sons of Gwalia in April last year, a chapter was closed in the company's long history. Sons of Gwalia went into administration on 30 August 2004, following a financial collapse, with debts exceeding $800 million after suffering from falling gold reserves and hedging losses. By Edited announcement. Sons of Gwalia was Australia's third-largest gold producer and also controlled more than half the world's production of … Sons of Gwalia was a Western Australian mining company that mined gold, tantalum, spodumene, lithium and tin. Sons of Gwalia went into administration on 30 August 2004, following a financial collapse, with debts exceeding $800 million after suffering from falling gold reserves and hedging losses. Sons of Gwalia – proposal to reverse the effect of the decision The High Court decision In 2007 the High Court delivered its decision in Sons of Gwalia Ltd v Margaretic (2007) 231 CLR 160. 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