Michael Wright (1937–2012) was an Australian heir and businessman.Voyager Estate: The Estate
/ref>WA iron ore heir Michael Wright dies
''

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

'', April 27, 2012Amy Wilson-Chapman
Iron ore heir and Rinehart foe Michael Wright passes away
''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'', April 28, 2012Billion-dollar war
''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'', March 09, 2007Forbes
/ref>Alana Buckley-Carr
Iron ore heir Michael Wright dies
''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, '' The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuous ...

'', April 27, 2012

Biography

Early life

His late grandfather, Canon McClemans, founded Christ Church Grammar School. His late father, Peter Wright, co-founded

Hancock Prospecting Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd is a leading Australian owned mining and agricultural business run by Executive Chairman Gina Rinehart and CEO Garry Korte. At stages of its trading, the company has been known as Hancock Prospecting Ltd, Hancock Reso ...

and Wright Prospecting with the late

Lang Hancock Langley Frederick George "Lang" Hancock (10 June 1909 27 March 1992) was an Australian iron ore magnate from Western Australia who maintained a high profile in the spheres of business and politics. Famous initially for discovering the world's ...

, who was

Gina Rinehart Georgina Hope Rinehart (née Hancock, born 9 February 1954) is an Australian mining magnate and businesswoman. Rinehart is the Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting, a privately owned mineral exploration and extraction company founded by ...

's father.Rebecca Le May
Gina Rinehart loses Rhodes Ridge appeal
''The Sunday Times'', October 30, 2012Andrew Burrell
Gina Rinehart's Rhodes Ridge appeal fails, court finds for Wrights
''The Australian'', October 30, 2012Rania Spooner

'' Sydney Morning Herald'', October 30, 2012 His sister is

Angela Bennett Angela Bennett (born ) is an Australian mining heiress and businesswoman. Biography Her father, Peter Wright, co-founded Wright Prospecting. Her brother was Michael Wright, the owner of the Voyager Estate winery in Margaret River. She heads ...

. He was born in Western Australia and attended Christ Church Grammar School.

Career

He started his career in the family concern, at Wright Prospecting. In 1991, he bought the Voyager Estate winery in

Margaret River, Western Australia Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River. Margaret River's co ...

, despite being a teetotaller.Margaret River
/ref> He sat on the Board of Governors at the

University of Notre Dame Australia The University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA) is a national Roman Catholic private university with campuses in and in Western Australia and Sydney in New South Wales. The university also has eight clinical schools as part of its school of med ...

in Fremantle.

Wealth

After his father's death, he inherited $900 million fortune with his sister. In 2010, he and his sister received AUS$1 billion from Gina Rinehart after she was legally forced to give up twenty-five per cent in the Rhodes Ridges iron ore mine 60 km west of Newman in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...

. They owned fifteen per cent of

Hamersley Iron Pilbara Iron is a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational Rio Tinto Group, that manages assets for Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto, and Robe River Iron Associates, an unincorporated joint venture between Rio ...

shares from the Rio Tinto Group, Gina Rinehart owning the other fifty per cent. With his sister, he was worth US$2.3 billion or AUS$2.7 billion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Michael 1937 births 2012 deaths Australian businesspeople Australian billionaires