Australian businesswoman Janet Holmes a Court inspired Dandenong’s business community with a fascinating speech at last week’s Chamber of Commerce Premier Regional Business Awards nomination dinner.By Shaun Inguanzo
DANDENONG businesses will reap more benefits from EastLink than anywhere in the state, according to Thiess John Holland’s chairman.
Janet Holmes a Court astonished Dandenong’s business community with a special presentation last week to update the city on EastLink’s progress and give a personal account of how she turned around her late husband’s $400 million debt.
Ms Holmes a Court’s speech was the highlight of a dinner to mark further nominations for the Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce’s Premier Regional Business Awards.
Sailing company Access Dinghies, bread manufacturer Country Life Bakery and Flinders Bread, and aluminium manufacturer Rapid Aluminium received nominations. Ms Holmes a Court said EastLink would soon begin laying more than 2 million square metres of asphalt on the tollway, which was expected to open in 2008.
She said the project expended $90 million a month and had provided employees with 3.4 million working hours.
But Ms Holmes a Court said Dandenong’s benefit from the project would be greater than that for any other city, with several major road works including the Dandenong Southern Bypass and Monash Freeway-Eastlink Junction. Ms Holmes a Court told of her rise to be chairman of the EastLink project after she took control of late husband Robert’s company, Heytesbury Limited.
“I had a $400 million debt owing to the banks,” she said.
“Robert left 12 theatres in London’s West End, he had 200,000 cattle in stations across Australia, he had four horse studs with 170 brood mares, a car collection, a small winery in Margaret River, and no will.”
Ms Holmes a Court said she carefully sold off assets that were not going to make money.
She appointed a new team of advisers who helped acquire construction company John Holland, which she said helped pay off most of the debt.
“We had the same number of cattle, but put them on half the land,” she said.
Ms Holmes a Court said Heytesbury was still a family company, with her children actively involved in its control.
