Much-loved WA auctioneer Tiny Holly back in his boots after RM Williams customises shoes for his prosthetics

WA’s most well-known and loved auctioneer Tiny Holly has just notched two new milestones in his career. Mr Holly — who lives in Harvey — surpassed the $45 million mark after auctioning at some of the State’s most high-profile charity events through his business Have Gavel, Will Travel. It was an achievement he celebrated while also commemorating another, more personal, one. For the first time since last year, Tiny has been able to pull on a pair of RM Williams boots. Mr Holly said he had missed wearing his favourite brand after having both of his legs amputated — his right leg in April 2020, and his left leg in August 2022 — due to a litany of health issues. While he initially persevered with trying to wear his boots with his prosthetic, Mr Holly found he did not feel steady on his feet and felt worried about falling over while attending auctions across Australia. It was after chatting to Harvest Road chief operating officer Ben Dwyer at a function in Broome in October 2023 that Mr Holly started to wonder if it may be possible to create a custom boot to fit his new prosthetics. Mr Dwyer put the famous auctioneer in touch with RM Williams chief operating officer Tara Moses, and the conversation took off. “She had heard of me, and knew I had raised a lot of money for charity in WA.... and RM Williams would be proud to create the custom boots for me,” he said. Mr Holly drove across the Nullabor in May to visit the RM Williams workshop and distribution centre in Adelaide, describing the experience as “just incredible”. During a period of a few weeks, the company carefully crafted two boots fit for the famous auctioneer. The final product was a brown, waxy raisin leather boot with blue tugs, with engraved boot counters — the leather back of the heel — that say T27 (the initial of Mr Holly’s first name and his favourite number) and the letters HGWT. The second abbreviation is short for his flagship auctioneering business. The rubber heels were also lowered to place his prosthetics closer to the ground. Tiny penned an email to the company’s senior management a few weeks later, expressing his “sincere appreciation”. He told Countryman it was the perfect continuation of his journey with a brand he had worn since 1977, when he saved up in 1c and 2c coins to buy a pair of jeans and a hat for $15.50. “When I placed the order-inquiry... I was genuinely excited — but nothing could have prepared me for the moment my personalised boots arrived at the front door,” he said. “Simply put, I was blown away. “The craftsmanship is outstanding, the design is spot-on, and the ease with which I was able to put them onto my prosthetics was remarkable. “Even more impressive is how well I can walk in them — it’s nothing short of amazing. “I was proud as punch to wear the boots at the first function and where I passed the $45 million mark raised for charity.” Mr Holly notched up the $45m figure while auctioneering at the annual Kailis Club fundraising event in support of Neuromuscular WA at Kailis Bros in West Leederville.