Stephen Marks is revamping the Callington Hotel and has bought 1.4ha block of land in the same town

He lost his beachfront house, got kicked out of a marina and was ordered to pay $200k in court costs – now an Adelaide businessman is revamping a country pub.

The 1851 Callington Hotel, owned by Stephen Marks, is undergoing renovation. Picture: Mike Burton

A businessman ordered to pay at least $217,000 in court fees, who had a house forcibly sold from under him and evicted from a marina over debts is revamping a historic pub and has bought property in the same town.

Former Marina St Vincent manager Stephen Marks – whose company was turfed out of the Wirrina Cove facility last April for failing to pay a $200,000 dredging bill – is refurbishing the local heritage-listed Callington Hotel, or “The Cally”.

The Montefiore Street hotel’s licence is registered to Hoarders and Collectors, of which Mr Marks - a former publican of the Union Hotel in Adelaide and Yankalilla Hotel - is sole director.

Another of Mr Marks’ companies bought the building in August 2016 for $211,200, according to its property title.

Internal walls of the 1851 building were removed illegally, according to a Mt Barker Council planning report in 2017.

The Advertiser can also reveal that on February 26 this year another of Mr Marks’ companies Uncorked Pty Ltd settled on the $250,000 purchase of a 1.4ha block of land on the same street as the pub.

The historic Callington Hotel - one of the state’s oldest - has been closed since 2016 and is undergoing renovations. Picture: Mike Burton

The vacant blocks available for subdivision of up to eight properties, according to the sales campaign.

The purchase came a week after the District Court ordered Mr Marks pay $10,000 in court fees to a group of 75 disgruntled berth owners who sued his other company, New Wave Aerospace, over its management of the Wirrina marina.

This was on top of $207,000 the court ordered Mr Marks reimburse the boaties for funding a court-appointed accountant who found NWA - of which Mr Marks is sole director - had overcharged boaties $1.759m over six years.

The accountant also found $658,166 had been paid out of the marina accounts to related entities of which, the court heard, Mr Marks had a direct or indirect interest.

Mr Marks placed NWA in liquidation in August to avoid a damages ruling against the company in the class action but berth owners went after him personally for legal costs.

Callington Hotel owner Stephen Marks

Liquidator Hugh Martin determined in November that company had been insolvent since June 2016, being the date when the company from which the company failed to maintain its financial records.

The State Government lodged a $7m damages claim with Mr Martin against NWA for breach of the marina lease.

The Advertiser attempted to contact Mr Marks for comment about the pub venture and land purchases.

In January the Bendigo Bank forcibly sold a beachfront house at Carrickalinga, which had been owned by another of Mr Marks’ companies, New Wave Australia.

Mr Marks transferred sole directorship of the company New Wave Australia to his son Harrison Marks on February 3, a week before the sale settled.

The Advertiser understands the unfinished Gold Coast Drive house fetched $1.55m.