Organisers of the 7th Annual Ocean Pool Crawl were thrilled to meet their target of raising $20,000 for the Cancer Council NSW, and are happy to report that donations can still be taken until 31 May.
The event, held last Sunday, was blessed with sensational weather and even better results.
Almost 100 participated, with their journey starting in buses (donated by LBJ Tours) from the Palm Court Hotel.
They then completed two laps in seven different ocean pools from Coalcliff to Towradgi, then back to the Palm Court Hotel for awards and celebrations.
Highest fund raiser was Martin Merritt with $1000, while the highest single donation was by the Thai Chic Restaurant, Corrimal.
The best fairy dress of the day was won by Luke Daniels, with the runner up position going to Gail Murray.
Organiser Phil Murray, of MMJ North, said the event's huge success was a team effort between the 100 participants and the sponsors.
"Our success was ensured thanks to the involvement of co-organiser Keryn Hughes and major sponsorship from the Palm Court Hotel in Corrimal, MMJ North and Savvy Health & Fitness.
"Savvy Health and Fitness not only provided sponsorship, they also contributed 50 participants including the ‘big fish' himself, former Australian basketball representative and Illawarra Hawks captain, Glenn Saville.
"They also had 10 hardy souls who ran from the Palm Court Hotel to the first pool at Coalcliff." To make a donation contact Keryn on 0431 379 223, Phil on 0411 854 785 or Jeremy Hodder on 0411 457 967, or call in to the MMJ North office at 251 -253 Princes Hwy, Corrimal.
There was strong interest in the five properties listed for auction by Ray White Kiama at the Sebel Harbourside, Kiama on Monday night. More than 70 people attended, with the properties attracting 10 registered bidders.
All properties attracted bids, with one sold under the hammer for $430,000 (17 Barton Drive, Kiama Downs). Negotiations on two properties were underway at the time of print, while the remaining two properties were passed in for failing to reach the reserve.
Ray White Kiama's Michele Lay said she was pleased with the results.
"The numbers in the room were good. "While our clearance rate wasn't as successful as our previous auction, the strong interest provided the impetus for negotiations. "I'm confident that we will end up with four out of the five properties sold in the coming days."
Another auction will be held this coming Monday, 11 May at the Sebel Harbourside at 7pm.
Six properties are listed including a unique absolute waterfront property at 126 Charles Ave, Minnamurra.
Ray White Kiama's campaign for this address has already resulted in 170 people passing through the property.
Michele said the interest generated should provide an interesting evening. The office's next Auction Spectacular will be held 28 June.
Other Auction Results
In the latest auction news... these are the results of other auctions held during the last week.
8 Carson Place, Minnamurra (Bevans, Berry) Sold under the hammer - $950,000
754 Lawrence Hargrave Dr (Ray White, Thirroul) Sold under the hammer - $540,000.
40 Hertford St, Dapto (Ray White, Dapto) Passed in at auction. Under negotiation.
1 McGregor Ave, Barrack Heights (Ray White, Shellharbour Village) Sold a day before auction.
6 Albert St, Berry (Elders, Berry) Passed in at auction. Negotiations underway with highest bidder (had not been sold at time of print).
When 20 year-old Sarah Roberts received the crushing news that both her grandfathers were diagnosed with asbestos-related cancers, she decided to turn the devastating blow into positive action.
With the help of her father, Colin (Principal/Licensee and owner of Dougmal Harcourts Corrimal & Woonona) Sarah mobilised a team of local businesses and volunteers to take part in Australia's Biggest Morning Tea on Thursday, 21 May.
The event is open to the public and will include a sausage sizzle, homemade baked goods and beverages - all for the bargain price of a gold coin donation.
Money raised from thr nationwide event goes to the Cancer Council.
Colin, who said the double diagnosis had rocked his family, expressed great pride in his daughter for taking a positive action after receiving such upsetting news.
"It's been a real community effort"
"Even in these tough economic times, local businesses have been wonderful - no one turned us down"
Supporters include Corrimal branches of Kennards Hire and Coles, Woonona Bakehouse, Hasties Meats, realestateworld.com.au and the Wollongong & Northern Leader.
The Biggest Morning Tea will be held 21 May, 9am to noon at Dougmal Harcourts Corrimal, Shop 2,183-189 Princes Hwy.
PICTURE: Col and Sarah sample a brew in readiness for the big day.
A waterfront property on Minnamurra River sold for $1.65m at auction this week, a record price for a waterfront property in village suburb.
There was standing room only as 130 people packed into the room, with the auction attracting 14 registered bidders.
The property (126 Charles Ave) was one of two properties sold by Ray White Kiama at Sebel Harbourfront Kiama on Monday Night.
The other was 4 Pearce Place, Kiama, which sold for $612,000.
Three other properties didn't attract the bid.
Ray White Kiama's Michele Lay said she was thrilled with the record-breaking price of the Minnamurra property.
On the same night, Ray White Gerringong had three properties up for auction but bidding failed to meet reserve prices.
In a separate auction, Harrods Warilla sold 102 Purr Purr Ave in Warilla for $296,000-$16,000 above the reserve.
Illawarra real estate agents Simon Kersten has again been asked to sell the multi-millions dollar Byron Bay property once owned by Paul Hogan.
Simon, Principal of Colliers International Wollongong, said he was thrilled to be the only agent ever to sell "Cedar Springs", It is a rare privilege for an agent to be entrusted to sell such a magnificent property, to have the honour of being the only agent to ever sell it and now being asked to sell it again has been fantastic."
Owners Duncan and Sally Mount bought the property from Hogan in 2006 for $8.1m, splitting their time between their Sydney and Byron Homes.
Hogan and his wife (Actress Linda Kozlowski) built the home together and were married there.
The home has been lovingly maintained and further improved. The primary residence has 5 spacious bedroom suites, a resort pool with gazebo, huge formal and informal living areas and outdoor and indoor entertaining areas. There is also a separate guest cottage.
Concerns about the growing incidence of cancer and a desire to make the illness less frightening to her two teenage daughters are what inspired Ray White Dapto's Sharyn Missingham to get involved with Relay for Life.
The secretarial/administration worker has participated in half a dozen Relay for Life events and has been on the organising committee for two years. She got involved because she believed volunteering for an organisation that supports people with cancer was vitally important.
"Like most people, cancer scares the daylights out of me. I also like how volunteering makes me feel, like I'm contributing to something bigger." Relay For Life is an outdoor, overnight team event where people of all ages take turns to walk around their local oval, paying tribute to the lives of all those affected by cancer. It is the largest fundraising event for the Cancer Council in the country, with money raised going towards research, education and support programs.
This year's event will be held 19 September, with more than 200 survivors and their carers set to take part in the first lap at the newlynamed Kerryn McCann Athletics Centre, Beaton Park at 10am.
Coledale Mum and Commonwealth Games gold medallist McCann died from cancer in December 2008 aged 41.
The champion marathon runner had secondary cancer in her liver since May last year and had revealed that she had *** cancer while pregnant with her third child. This year's event launch featured last year's highest fundraising team, Dot's Troupe, which raised $13,742. It was the second year the team had held the honour. Their contribution helped organisers raise $256,000 last year, with the event attracting 138 teams and more than 2000 participants.
To donate, call Grant Plecas at the Cancer Council on 4225 3660 or visit. www.relayforlife.com.au/nsw
Picture: Relay for Life Mascot, Sid Seagull, with a reminder of the importance of protection from the sun.
Last Thursday night saw the official opening of the new Century 21 Ultimate office in Wollongong.
This office sees a world class real estate service, now available to the local community.
With access to leading industry resources and global network, selling your home has just been made easier.
Proud owners, Hakan and Melissa Kutup and partner Jenny Spagnolo along with Australia Chairman, Charles Tarbey and the Century 21 head office team were amongst a supporting crowd of close friends and respected business people of the Illawarra.
Collectively the new team is focused on professionalism and strict standards of quality service offering a full agency service, including sales, property management, project marketing and auctions.
Pictured cutting the ribbon to mark the opening were from left: Charles Tarbey (Chairman of Century 21 Australia), Jane Whelan (Head Office), Melissa Kutup (Administration Support), Hakan Kutup (Principal), Jenny Spagnolo (Business Partner), Luke Cameron (Head Office), Chris Lynch (Head Office)
Forget drive-thru burgers.
On Thursday, 28 May hungry motorists can look forward to a good old fashioned sausage sizzle - without leaving their vehicle.
Hot on the heels of its successful Pool Crawl fundraising event, MMJ North will hold a Biggest Morning Tea and sausage sizzle from 10am to 2pm.
Tea and coffee will be available at the front of the office (251-253 Princes Hwy, Corrimal) while a ‘drive-thru' sausage sizzle will be available in the laneway at the rear of the building.
MMJ's recent 7th Annual Ocean Pool Crawl raised more than $20,000 for the Cancer Council NSW.
Organisers are confident the morning tea will further top up charity's coffers.
PHOTO: From Left - MMJ North team, Phil Murray, James Ianni, Michael De Gori and Roger Hughes, hosting last year's event.
Four properties were up for auction this week, with one selling under the hammer.
At the time of print, negotiations were underway for the remaining three.
Laing & Simmons Wollongong sold 34 Beatus Street, Unanderra for $271,000.
LJ Hooker Warrawong had two properties for auction - 65 Donaldson Street, Port Kembla & 233 Flagstaff Road, Lake Heights - but neither sold.
Ray White Shellharbour Village had taken three offers on 7 Headland Parade, Barrack Point after it did not sell at auction.
Recently Dougmal and Harcourts held their Annual Awards function at Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour, to celebrate the real estate achievements of 2008. Many Dougmal Harcourts offices' teams and individuals from the Illawarra region received awards for their outstanding performances and service to the real estate industry.
Clockwise from top-left;
1. Dougmal Harcourts Dapto team
2. Garth Makowski, Dougmal Harcourts State Trainer and Deb Cummins, Dougmal Harcourts Oak Flats
3. Walter Nanni, CEO Harcourts NSW with Daniel McConnell, Dougmal Harcourts Albion Park.
4. Susan Spence, Dougmal Harcourts Kiama; Walter Nanni, CEO Harcourts NSW; Andy Wharton, Dougmal Harcourts Kiama.
Awards presented were:
Best Presented Office of the Year -
Marketing Producer of the Year -
Sales Administrator of the Year -
Sales Achievement -
Sales Person ‘Top Gun' of the Year, 1st Place -
Sales Person ‘Top Gun' of the Year, 3rd Place -
Sales Team of the Year -
Office of the Year -
Picture: One of the properties at 83-85 and 87 Renfrew Road, Gerringong that was sold at auction for by Ray White Kiama on the weekend.
Auction outcomes for the weekend included three Ray White properties selling under the hammer.
Ray White Wollongong sold 78 Woodlawn Ave, Mangerton for $430,000, while Ray White Kiama sold 83-85 and 87 Renfrew Rd, Werri Beach, for $665,000 and $470,000 respectively.
In other results Laing & Simmons Wollongong postponed its auction of 1/33 Farrell St, Balgownie after a contract was issued.
O'Connor First National had 4 Scenic Place, Berkeley for auction but it was passed in after failing to meet the reserve. It was the same story for Rain & Horne Kiama's 41 Tingira Crescent, Kiama, and Ray White Thirroul's 15 Byron Street, Bellambi.
Richardson & Wrench Thirroul's 80 Morrison Ave, Thirroul was also passed in and will now go to open market.
Money magazine has named the Illawarra Credit Union and IMB the best in their categories at its Consumer Finance Awards.
Illawarra Credit Union was named Credit Union of the Year, while the IMB was named Building Society of the Year.
More than 19,000 financial products and services from more than 300 financial institutions were assessed by an independent panel of experts from financial researcher CANSTAR CANNEX to determine the award winners.
There were 10 category awards and three major awards - Credit Union of the Year, Building Society of the Year and Bank of the Year.
The major award winners had the highest aggregate score of the institutions competing in separate categories - meaning they were most likely to provide value for money, no matter what type of financial product or service consumers were looking for.
Community Alliance chief executive Mike Halloran said the Illawarra Credit Union was a proudly local, member-based organisation with a long history of offering a competitive alternative to the banks.
"Winning this award confirmed this. It also shows that you don't have to sacrifice competitiveness to deliver friendly service," Mr Halloran said.
The Illawarra Credit Union has nine branches from Helensburgh and Campbelltown in the north to Nowra in the south, with 30,000 members and 120 employees. This is the third time in the past five years the IMB has won Building Society of the Year.
Chief executive Robert Ryan said the award confirmed the IMB, with its 129-year history, was also competitive alternative to banks.
"This award reflects the competitiveness of our business. It is based on a range of criteria but most importantly it reflects the quality and value of our products," Mr Ryan said. "We strive to put our members first, and this award confirms you don't have to sacrifice competitiveness to deliver the friendly service IMB is renowned for." Part of the ethos of a mutual financial institution is to support its community.
In addition to the delivery of competitive financial services, Illawarra Credit Union supports a broad range of local charities, sporting groups and community organisations.
Likewise, IMB's Community Foundation, now celebrating its 10th year, provides almost $500,000 annually to communitybased projects. Also, IMB launched a website two years ago for first home buyers www.firsthomefriend. com.au, a useful resource providing information, a checklist, useful links and advice about renovations, auctions and common problems.
MMJ Oak Flats opened for business this week in an effort to better service clients in the growing Albion Park and Oak Flats areas.
MMJ Windang licensee and local industry stalwart Joe Martin, said the decision was made to open an office in Oak Flats because of increased property and population volume in the area.
"Our growing client base was the main driver, and I have always had a soft spot for Oak Flats," Joe said.
"We'll be handling residential, industrial and commercial sales and management and we look forward to servicing the area.
Joe's son Adam Martin, is managing director of the new Oak Flats business, which will have three staff and a strong link with the Windang office.
Joe said he was confident that MMJ offered a range of real estate services and experience "unmatched in the Illawarra".
An exceptional 12-month period in sales has secured Vito Scioscia from LJ Hooker Albion Park Rail, a place in the top 15 % of LJ Hooker's performers internationally.
In a network of more than 800 real estate business operations, Vito is now recognised as a ‘Captain' of industry by his/her peers.
The Captain's Club, established in the early 1990s to reward achievement and draw on experiences of its members to lead others into excellence, representing the top performers in finance, sales, property management and business operations.
"Qualifying recognises Vito's high standing in a long history of top performers," said LJ Hooker Managing Director, Alan Lambert. Vito's status can stand as a recommendation to clients and customers of his experience and expertise in all the local real estate markets."
"Achieving the level of success to make ‘Captain' relies on more than just successful business transactions. You must also be able to generate solid repeat and referral business", Lambert said.
Vito sold more than $15,000,000 - of property in the last 12 months. "Earning a place in the Captain's Club is an honour; my clients are my first priority and this achievement is a reflection of my efforts of their behalf," said Vito.
EAC Board Member, David Grubb, recently attended the Illawarra Branch Surf Life Saving Awards night on behalf of realestateworld.com.au, held at the City Beach function centre recently.
Mr. Grubb also announced that realestateworld.com.au would be continuing its sponsorship for the coming 2009/2010 season.
Award winners were:
Picture: Bill Seay, President SLS Illawarra, presents realestateworld.com.au board member David Grubb with an appreciation plaque.