Bizzy Bits: Clive Palmer buys again on The Sovereign Islands, good news for Icon shareholders, Nimble’s superhero day and more
BUSINESS GOSSIP: On-again, off-again billionaire Clive Palmer buys again, Icon shareholders have some good news, and Nimble employees don superhero outfits all for a good cause.
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THE mansion-buying spree of on-again, off-again billionaire and wannabe politician Clive Palmer has been near-constant since a court order in January that Chinese company Citic pay him $US350 million ($473 million) in a dispute over iron-ore royalties.
The mining entrepreneur has continued his long-time amity with the Sovereign Islands, where he has invested more than $20 million over the past 12 years.
Mr Palmer, 64, and members of his family hold numerous properties on the man-made islands, including five on the exclusive street where he lives with wife Anna in a mansion he bought for $9.5 million in 2010.
Property records reveal he settled his latest Sovereign special, on Kensington Mews for a relatively-modest $1.895 million, on September 10, four days before his $12 million Hedges Ave buy from developer John Potter settled.
In February Mr Palmer signed up for a $7.4 million waterfront mansion in Brisbane’s Fig Tree Pocket, formerly owned by failed Linc Energy boss Peter Bond.
That home had been passed in at auction at $9.25 million less than a year earlier.
In July he splashed $2.7 million on a mansion on Townsville’s sought-after esplanade The Strand.
The court ruling saw the compilers of the BRW rich list upgrade Mr Palmer’s estimated worth from $344 million in 2017 to $2.84 billion this year
SHAREHOLDERS in Gold Coast oil and gas explorer Icon Energy must be a hardy lot.
The company recently reported an annual loss of $4.037 million loss for the past financial year, which brought its accumulated losses to $58.9 million.
So, in the interests of brightening Icon shareholders days BB thought we’d point out a little speck of sunshine in the company’s accounts.
According to Icon’s bean counters the company has net deferred tax assets not brought to account of $8.7 million, so if it ever does turn a profit shareholders can be assured of keeping a sizeable chunk of it out of the taxman’s hands.
Mind you, that will be after the company pays a provision of $5.3 million relating to the estimated cost of decommissioning, restoration and rehabilitation of areas disturbed during exploration activities.
Ah well, swings and roundabouts.
RICHARD Duce, a key executive with billionaire developer Bob Ell, has got to the bottom, literally, of what’s what and what’s not when he heads to North Korea next year to compete in a half marathon.
One of the items that the organiser of his trip to Pyongyang has suggested he should take is toilet paper.
He’s also been advised to take energy bars, bananas and rehydration drinks to North Korea and to carry snacks and refreshments with him on the run.
Apparently there will be refreshment stations along the marathon route but their only offering will be cups of water.
Richard, who’s been a sprint champion and has run in Gold Coast marathons, has been told there’ll be a thermos of boiled water in his hotel room but nothing to go with it.
On other words, take your own tea or coffee.
There is one big plus should he wish to celebrate with something heavier after completing the half marathon — he’s allowed to take alcohol into North Korea.
The 53-year-old runner wears multiple hats at Bob Ell’s Leda group, being acquisitions manager, sales and marketing manager, and project manager.
SOUTHPORT’S Seabank building is happily home to a wide array of weird and wacky characters (and we’re not just talking about the Bully journos).
So, it is appropriate that each year around this time, Nimble’s Jess Bennett organises Superhero and Villain Day to raise funds for The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Seabank is briefly taken over by Catwoman, The Joker, and Sailor Mars, among others, which makes a nice change from dreary business attire.
Jess’s dad Gary Bennett died in 2014 from prostate cancer, and she has organised the day for the past five years in his honour to raise awareness of the disease.
This year she and her co-workers raised $739.50, which means about $11,000 has been donated in total to the foundation.
Well done to Jess and the whole Nimble team.
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