On the 9th of November 1847, three brothers set off from England on a sailing ship, named the "Lady Peel". Daniel, a lawyer, and his brothers Robert and John, who were both carpenters, arrived in Melbourne on the 16th of February 1848, with their families to build a new life for themselves in a young and vibrant country.

Little did the brothers realise that when they stepped ashore, they were the embryo of one of Australia's first sporting goods entrepreneurs, and the name "Sherrin" was to become one of Australia's finest icons.

Robert had nine children, and little Thomas William Sherrin grew up in a close family environment. Tom Sherrin didn't follow his father's carpentry skills, but decided to become a saddler, repairing and manufacturing horse saddles, bridles and leather equipment that were essential for the transport of that era.

The saddlery that Tom worked was located in Wellington Street Collingwood. Collingwood, around the 1870's was dominated by tanneries, clothing and shoe manufacturers, and had a hotel on nearly every street corner. Tom was involved with a small club close to where he worked, called Britannia Football Club. Australian Rules Football was a game that was a derivative of many fine sports that included Irish Gaelic football, rugby and soccer.