Local Leaders

Whether achieving an outstanding price for a plush new apartment in a multi-unit complex, or listing a 40-year-old, three-bedroom home tucked away in a cul-de-sac in the Tuggeranong valley, Will Honey is blazing a new trail in property with technology and teamwork. Born in Bega and having completed high school at Erindale College, Will entered real estate as a personal...

Nine years into an outstanding real estate career that began when she was 21, Jess Smith has invaluable advice for young people: Don’t wait until you are 40 to become a leading figure in this business. If you’re about to leave school, you can learn on the job and flourish up the front of the residential property market in Canberra....

Like many Canberrans, Nigel Earnshaw's life was consumed by his military service. Deployed five times, he suffered an injury in Iraq and reached the rank of major before leaving the armed forces and wondering what would come next. His journey illustrates both the difficulties in making that transition and the potential positive outcomes. "The military gives you a place to...

Good butchers tell great stories. Before he was a real estate agent, Col McIntyre was a butcher who managed a shop in South Dunedin, New Zealand, called the Bashful Butcher. A chirpy young bloke who was a real estate agent named James Stewart called in regularly for Col’s chops or sausages and always told the butcher what he was doing...

A highly successful national not-for-profit, that originated in Canberra, is now helping a new wave of women facing barriers to employment to find purpose and a sustainable income. Multiple studies and social welfare groups such as The Salvation Army now point firmly to older women as being the new face of poverty and at an increasingly heightened risk of financial...

Paul Corazza is no stranger to real estate. He’s just marked his 26th year in ‘the biz’ and has sold 1508 properties worth close to half a billion dollars. That’s more than one a week, every week, for 26 years on average. Paul, the Principal at Independent Gungahlin, remembers his first sale as clear as if it was yesterday. It...

Roger Tall well remembers the catalyst which started him on the road to help others within the Canberra community. It was 25 years ago and Roger, a pharmacist, had become friends with a customer at his Wanniassa pharmacy whose son had severe cerebral palsy and who attended the Malkara Special School. He observed the love between parent and child and...

It’s rare to find someone who enjoys their work so much that they’ve stuck with it for more than a decade. But for Peter Grady, stepping into mobile lending was a decision he made with confidence…and that was over 25 years ago. With a passion for people and being out and about in Canberra, Peter has become one of our...

Vinnies CEO Sleep Out participant Mirko Milic says he’s always been a strong believer in giving back to the community, whether it is through involvement with a charity or sporting groups. As the Canberra Toyota Dealer Principal, Mirko says he is keen to lead by example to his 360 staff across seven sites in the ACT by demonstrating first hand...

In many ways, Jenny Kitchin feels she’s come full circle. She grew up in Woden and lived in one of the first houses in Chifley, at a time when the countryside was sparse, there were no local shops and the trip into the city was a long one. Today, Jenny has returned to the area but as the new Chief...

Communities@Work's board chair Alan Greenslade recently announced the appointment of Lee Maiden to the position of Chief Executive Officer. "Lee is an outstanding appointment known for her collaborative leadership style," he said of the new CEO. "She brings a wealth of experience from several decades working with Communities@Work." Established in the 1970s in Canberra, Communities@work is a social enterprise that...

“If you can’t see it, you can’t be it” goes the mantra: we all need role models and inspiration, and sometimes the most powerful icons are right there in our own backyards. Powered by Passion is a new Region Media series by Nina Gbor that takes us inside the lives and motivations of some remarkable Canberra women. Margaret Blakers, in...

Life is good for Jason Anasson and Natalie Kokic Schmidt. They’ve been together for 14 years (since high school), love living in Canberra, adore their two Staffies and share professional lives in the competitive and fast-moving world of real estate. Jason and Natalie both work for McGrath Belconnen/Gungahlin here in the capital and are 100 per cent committed to delivering...

At five foot, five inches, or just under 170 centimetres, Scott Jackson has copped just about every short joke there is. Entering into a business partnership with two brothers who measure over six foot two, has really highlighted the height discrepancy. However, Scott, or Scottie as he’s universally known, stands tall above almost all in the industry when it comes...

Pialligo Estate Smokehouse manager, Alex Petryk, becomes emotional as he starts talking about the absolute devotion the people of Canberra have to his bacon, a product that has virtually developed its own identity. In particular, when the Smokehouse at Hume burned down in 2016, local businesses kept an empty space in their display cases for eight weeks waiting for the...

“If you can’t see it, you can’t be it” goes the mantra: we all need role models and inspiration, and sometimes the most powerful icons are right there in our own backyards. Powered by Passion is a new Region Media series by Nina Gbor that takes us inside the lives and motivations of some remarkable Canberra women. The focus is...