1920s

As an officially independent woman once again, Mary directed her energies to her growing real estate ventures.

The 1920s brought a wealth of opportunities with the post-war property boom, allowing Mary’s keen judgment for acquisitions to shine. One of which was her purchase of the Gordons Hotel in 1924. It was diagonally opposite the Bon Ton Café – an ideal city position – and already licensed to serve wine and beer with meals. After major renovations in 1928, Mary renamed it the Wentworth Hotel and it went on to become not only her home, but her flagship business and the core of the future Raine Square in the Perth Central Business District.

Even the crash of the New York stock market at the end of the decade did little to dampen Mary’s business ambition, as she confronted the challenges of the following years with the same practical determination.