As a student, he found ways to make money by selling photographs to classmates and offering rides home in exchange for their travel allowances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After high school, He travelled to New Zealand and completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science in 1962. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He then moved to Perth, Western Australia, where he graduated with a law degree from the University of Western Australia in 1965, after which he practised as a solicitor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Holmes \u00e0 Court only transitioned to business in 1970 when he bought the struggling Western Australian Worsted & Woollen Mills in Albany. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After turning the company around, he left law and focused on expanding his business interests. In 1974, he acquired Bell Bros Holdings, a transport and earthmoving company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1976, he grouped his companies under the Bell Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Holmes \u00e0 Court quickly developed a reputation for corporate takeovers. He bought into undervalued businesses, sometimes holding them only briefly before selling at a profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1979, he made AUS$11 million by selling his interest in Ansett Transport Industries to News Ltd before taking control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1981, he withdrew from a takeover attempt of Elder Smith Goldsbrough Mort and made a profit of AUS$16 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His interests soon expanded into media and publishing. From 1980 to 1987, he published the Western Mail in Perth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He tried to gain control of the Herald & Weekly Times in 1981 but failed. However, a merger with TVW Enterprises in 1982 gave him control of television stations in Perth and Adelaide and four radio stations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also made a failed bid to acquire The Times in London but managed to buy Lord Grade\u2019s Associated Communications Corporation, which included several theatres in London\u2019s West End. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A takeover empire <\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Michael-Robert-Hamilton-Holmes-a-Court-1-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn 1987, he acquired West Australian Newspapers from News Corporation. By the mid-1980s, Holmes \u00e0 Court\u2019s company, the Bell Group, controlled more than 50 companies in industries such as mining, media, transport, and finance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
His most notable corporate campaign was against BHP, which was then one of Australia\u2019s largest companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Between 1983 and 1986, Bell Resources acquired<\/a> nearly 30% of BHP, and Holmes \u00e0 Court gained a seat on its board. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAfter the stock market crash in 1987, he sold his stake for AUS$2.3 billion and quickly disposed of other assets worth an estimated AUS$5 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bell Group\u2019s share price dropped significantly during this time, falling from nearly AUS$10 to AUS$1.30. Holmes \u00e0 Court sold control of the company to Alan Bond at double the depressed value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After stepping back from public companies, Holmes \u00e0 Court focused on private holdings, including cattle stations, vineyards, a transport company, and his West End theatres. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He managed these through Heytesbury Holdings, which he called the \u201cfamily castle.\u201d He also used another company, Carisbrook, for trading, and stated that everything it owned was for sale \u201cat the right price.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reaching billionaire status<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Michael-Robert-Hamilton-Holmes-a-Court-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the late 1980s, Holmes \u00e0 Court spent more time in London, living in a Georgian mansion near Regent\u2019s Park and flying in a private Boeing 727 between continents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He invested in the French company Elf Aquitaine and the Christie\u2019s auction house. In 1988, he created the Holmes \u00e0 Court Foundation to support individuals with \u201ctalent and imagination.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1989, he expanded Heytesbury\u2019s holdings by buying cattle properties, including Victoria River Downs in the Northern Territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside of business, Holmes \u00e0 Court was interested in breeding racehorses, and in 1984 his horse Black Knight won the Melbourne Cup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also collected vintage cars and Australian, European, and Aboriginal art. From 1986 to 1990, he chaired the board of the Art Gallery of Western Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn 1987, he acquired West Australian Newspapers from News Corporation. By the mid-1980s, Holmes \u00e0 Court\u2019s company, the Bell Group, controlled more than 50 companies in industries such as mining, media, transport, and finance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
His most notable corporate campaign was against BHP, which was then one of Australia\u2019s largest companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Between 1983 and 1986, Bell Resources acquired<\/a> nearly 30% of BHP, and Holmes \u00e0 Court gained a seat on its board. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After the stock market crash in 1987, he sold his stake for AUS$2.3 billion and quickly disposed of other assets worth an estimated AUS$5 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell Group\u2019s share price dropped significantly during this time, falling from nearly AUS$10 to AUS$1.30. Holmes \u00e0 Court sold control of the company to Alan Bond at double the depressed value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After stepping back from public companies, Holmes \u00e0 Court focused on private holdings, including cattle stations, vineyards, a transport company, and his West End theatres. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He managed these through Heytesbury Holdings, which he called the \u201cfamily castle.\u201d He also used another company, Carisbrook, for trading, and stated that everything it owned was for sale \u201cat the right price.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the late 1980s, Holmes \u00e0 Court spent more time in London, living in a Georgian mansion near Regent\u2019s Park and flying in a private Boeing 727 between continents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He invested in the French company Elf Aquitaine and the Christie\u2019s auction house. In 1988, he created the Holmes \u00e0 Court Foundation to support individuals with \u201ctalent and imagination.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1989, he expanded Heytesbury\u2019s holdings by buying cattle properties, including Victoria River Downs in the Northern Territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of business, Holmes \u00e0 Court was interested in breeding racehorses, and in 1984 his horse Black Knight won the Melbourne Cup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He also collected vintage cars and Australian, European, and Aboriginal art. From 1986 to 1990, he chaired the board of the Art Gallery of Western Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\nReaching billionaire status<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n