Mr Henry Joshua Wise held the role of Vice-President with the Tasmanian Institute of Accountants. It was during his tenure as Vice-President that Mr Wise signed the Certificate of Qualification for a young Mr Charles Edward Hamilton Ferguson of Launceston, recognising he had passed the Intercolonial Examination and admitting him as an associate of the Institute.  Twenty years later, Mr Wise and Mr Ferguson would go into Partnership. In December of the following year Mr H J Wise was elected to the role of President.    

From the early days Wise Lord & Ferguson had a significant number of large Tasmanian based businesses among its audit clients. These included Cadburys, 1920s Australian Newsprint Mills, 1939 Cascade Brewery Co, 1920s George Adams Estate Roberts Ltd, 1920s Nettlefolds, 1920s Hobart Savings Bank, 1920s Hobart Gas Co, 1920s Perpetual Trustees, 1920s Davies Brothers (The Mercury newspaper), 1950s Photo: Cascade Brewery 1940, Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office

Ms Ilma Lisson joined Wise Lord & Ferguson and was the first female Chartered Accountant in Tasmania. Ms Lisson stayed with the firm until 1962. In 2017 the Institute of Chartered Accountants featured Ms Lisson in an article in their magazine, profiling her groundbreaking career and her recent admission as a Fellow of Chartered Accountants ANZ.   Photo: Ilma Lisson, courtesy of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand

Wise Lord & Ferguson moved from the original offices, in the AMP Building on of Elizabeth and Collins Street, Hobart. The AMP Building was constructed in 1884 and had a sandstone facade and figurehead typical of Victorian-era architecture. A redevelopment in 1913 featured a striking sandstone arch as the entrance.The building was demolished in 1968 for construction of a modern office tower. The sandstone archway was donated to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and is still a popular feature today for family and wedding photographs. Throughout the followed decades Wise Lord & Ferguson re-located a number of times. The address immediately following was the Scottish Union Building at 152 Macquarie Street. After this time the firm moved to 30 Davey Street, and then the Reserve Bank building before settling in the current location. Photo: AMP Building, 1921, Mercury Historical Collection, Tasmanian Archive & Heritage Office

Wise Lord & Ferguson moved to 160 Collins Street Hobart, only two blocks from the firm’s original location, in 1994. This address remains the location of the firm today.

Wise Lord & Ferguson was rebranded to WLF Accounting & Advisory – a dynamic and contemporary practice built on a foundation of more than 120 years of excellence and service to the Tasmanian community. This same year, WLF entered into a joint-venture financial services company, UNICA Wealth Pty Ltd.