Alf Ellison

Alfred Owen Ellison (1 January 1903 – 12 June 1987), often referred to in print as A.O. Ellison and known colloquially as Alf or A.O., was an Australian solicitor, company director, racehorse owner and breeder. For over forty years he was the owner of Baramul Stud. Ellison served as chairman of the Australian operations of Mutual Acceptance Ltd (now Standard Chartered) and Lister Blackstone. He was President of the Bloodhorse Breeders' Association of N.S.W.

Ellison was born in Queensland, to Fanny (née) Bytheway and the Rev. Tom Ellison, a Methodist minister. He was one of six children: four boys and two girls. Ellison commenced at Newington College in 1918 during the headmastership of the Rev Dr Charles Prescott. In 1920, his last year at school, he was Senior Prefect and was awarded the Old Boys Prize. Ellison was awarded an exhibition in the Leaving Certificate. He went up to the University of Sydney in 1921 and graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 1924 and as a Bachelor of Laws in 1927. He was in residence at Wesley College, University of Sydney.

After serving as an articled clerk with Robson & Cowlishaw during his university studies, Ellison foundered the legal firm AO Ellison & Co in Sydney. It was active in advising New South Wales manufacturers on to their rights and liabilities, especially in relation to industrial relations and occupational health and safety legislation. The firm moved into insurance work and after a series of mergers is now known as Rankin Ellison and has offices in Sydney and Newcastle.

In 1940, Ellison founded Baramul Stud in the Hunter Valley. The name of Baramul originally had two Rs. It was developed on land known as Joe's Paddock, that had previously produced some good early horses. Ellison had had previously had his mares at the Widden Stud nearby. Soon after its foundation Ellison bred Alister at Baramul. Alister went on to win the AJC and VRC Derbys and the Cox Plate. His horses were branded with an image of a barbed tail taken from a Wyvern, the heraldic symbol of his old school, Newington College. From 1951, Star Kingdom, a sire owned by a partnership of Ellison, Stanley Wootton and Reg Moses brought great acclaim to Baramul. In 1984 the stud was purchased by Sir Tristan Antico and is now owned by Gerry Harvey.

Ellison was an enthusiastic grower of camellia's and he produced prize-winning stock at Baramul. With Prof. E.G. Waterhouse he arranged displays of camellias at the Macquarie Galleries and David Jones. The camellia japonica A.O. Ellison is named in his honour.

In 1981, before the sale of Baramul, Ellison bought the cattle and horse stud Kilwinning at Scone, New South Wales. He had married Nancy Shearston in 1928 and she predeceased him in 1982. Ellison died at Kilwinning on 12 June 1987.