Under a law that came into effect while South Australia was still a British colony, every company registered here must keep a list of all sums of cash, held in their possession for at least six years, that do not belong to them.

The lists are published each year and if the rightful owners of the money fail to claim it for a two further years after that, the Unclaimed Moneys Act of 1891 says, it’s handed over to the Government – at which stage you’ll have to take it up with the Treasurer.

Yesterday, South Australian oil and gas giant Beach Energy, along with construction materials supplier Adelaide Brighton Ltd and SA-based global electronics company Codan published their unclaimed sums lists on the Government Gazette.

Thousands of people and businesses appear on the list, having failed to claim their cash. Photo: Bension Siebert / InDaily

A spokesperson for Adelaide Brighton said that each listed package of cash is a would-be dividend payment, where the respective shareholder has not cashed their cheque.

A spokesperson for Beach explained that some shareholders go effectively missing by changing their address without notifying the company, making them difficult to track down and pay.

The sums on the list range from $10 to $4500, owed to both individuals and corporate entities from South Australia, interstate and overseas.

Among them:

• Vanessa Hickey, of Lisbon, Portugal, whose $2000 dividend payment has sat idly in the vaults of Beach Energy since September 2013.
• John Heddon, of San Francisco, California, who is yet to collect his $57.32.
• Ronald Mark Blenkiron, of Angaston, South Australia, owed a princely $10.35.

You can check the full list, starting on page 15 of the Gazette below.

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