Gold Coast property boom generates gargantuan gift

A wish to help the physically disabled on the Gold Coast by long-time Rotarian and RAF war hero Les Brightwell finally came to fruition on Saturday, January 15, 38 years after his death.

Les, who was a charter member of the Rotary Club of Mermaid Beach, Qld, passed away from cancer in 1983 but bequest his home to the club in his will.

He asked that the house be sold once it was no longer needed by his wife, Pauline, who passed away last year at the age of 95, and that the proceeds be used to form the Brightwell Trust.

Managed by members of the Rotary Club of Mermaid Beach, the property proceeds will be invested through the Trust, with any income earned going to help those who are physically disabled in the local community.

It was a cause close to Les’ heart, as his first wife was an amputee, losing her leg following a cancer diagnosis.

But he could never have imagined the extent of his gesture when he gifted the three-bedroom, canal-front home to the club in 1983.

Estimated to be worth $150,000 at the time, and now most likely a knock-me-down, the Sorrento property sold at auction for a whopping $1,835,000.

President of the Rotary Club of Mermaid Beach, Ron Borland, said the club had a huge responsibility to follow Les’ wish and would administer the funds in the Brightwell Trust with care and respect.

While decisions on how the proceeds will be invested and then distributed are still to be determined, Ron said it is a lifelong commitment to those in need.

“It could be providing sporting equipment, or putting wheelchair mats out for beach access. There are a lot of different things we can do that over the years will help the physically disabled community,” he said.

This is an edited version of an article by Lisa Hughes that first appear in the Gold Coast Bulletin.