Urbis adds new design director
URBIS Gold Coast has added Rita Soudo to its expanding Southport-based team as Gold Coast design director.
The property consultancy started on the Gold Coast five years ago with one staff member and no office and has since grown to a cohort of 14, including director Matt Schneider.
Ms Soudo (pictured) previously worked at the City of Fremantle as principal urban designer and before that was a senior urban designer for the City of Perth.
Before that she worked a variety of roles for more than 20 years for the City of Setubal in her native Portugal.
“We’ll be drawing on Rita’s global perspectives and national experience to help the city address the challenges and capitalise on the unique opportunities that will define the next generation of the Gold Coast,” Mr Schneider said. OFFBEAT new Hilton Surfers Paradise owner Dr Jerry Schwartz hopes the brand’s global centenary celebration will bring some heart to the hotel and raise more than $250,000 for local charities.
But in case that figurative heart wasn’t enough, he’s also brought along a literal heart – a bright red, 2m fibreglass model of one – ventricles, chambers and all.
The heart, which has attended Dr Schwartz’s previous two launches, required emergency surgery yesterday morning after spending the night on the footpath on Orchid Ave, where some heartless sod kicked in one of its chambers.
Mercifully, the hotel’s engineers were able to patch and repaint the organ in time for Dr Schwartz and his son Dane, 8, to pose for photographs with it.
“It’s the third time that I’ve used this heart,” Dr Schwartz said. “The first time was when I opened the Sofitel Darling Harbour and, on that day, it was the first operating day of the hotel and we gave every room of the hotel to charities, so the charities could do whatever they wanted with the money.
“The second time we used the heart was a year ago when we took over the Four Points by Sheraton.”
Dr Schwartz’s previous hotel launches raised up to $250,000 each for their charities.
Groups involved in the Gold Coast gala event included Rosies, the Smith Family, Oz Harvest, Paradise Kids/Hopewell Hospice, Humour Foundation/Clown Doctors, Orange Sky Homelessness, Gold Coast Hospital Foundation & Romac.
“When I knew at the time I purchased the hotel I wanted to have a charity event, we actually blocked out half of the hotel for charity so that all the rooms were given out,” he said.
The charities have been able to use, raffle or sell the rooms to raise funds.
Tourism Minister Kate Jones was booked to speak at the event, held last night in the Hilton ballroom.
A woman emerging from a martini glass was set to be the surprise centrepiece of the retro-themed event, which doubled as a gala launch of the new ownership and a celebration of the Hilton’s global centenary.
“It’s a big deal for Hilton, it’s a big deal for me and hopefully it’s a big deal for the charities.” THE owners of the riverfront mansion built at Paradise Waters in the 1980s for real estate identity Max Christmas can’t be accused of throwing in the towel.
Peter and Lisa Le Fanue bought the Commodore Dve property from Max for $2.15 million in 1998.
Back in 2016 they put it on the market at $9.85 million, reducing the ‘ask’ by $1 million the following year.
Subsequent attempts to find a wealthy buyer have included auction and expression of interest campaigns.
Undaunted, the Le Fanues, who have two sons in the real estate business, are trying again and hoping the hammer will come down on an acceptable figure at a new auction.
They’re pinning their hopes on the same agent who marketed the home prior to a 2016 auction, Jackson Paradise, of Ray White Prestige.
The Le Fanue mansion, built for Max Christmas by developer Soheil Abedian before he took his Sunland Group public, is on a 1767sq m double block.
The retired realtor has since described it as “immovable” because of its pylon foundations and brick and concrete build.
Any new owner will move into a two-level home that has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and a sprawling pool that comes with its own pool house.
The Le Fanues bought the home in what was a coming back to earth move – they had been living in the penthouse in Sunland’s Carmel by the Sea tower at Broadbeach.
They aspired to get $3.5 million for the penthouse but eventually settled for $2.92 million.