MAURICE House, who died this week, was one of Albury-Wodonga’s best-known businessmen and real estate agents.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He was a familiar and popular figure at local major auctions for a quarter of a century, sharing his good humour with a host of friends in business and agriculture.
English-born Mr House, 75, migrated to Australia with his family in 1949.
In 1973 he and his wife, Beverley, came to the Border from Mount Waverley and bought the old Moorefield Park cattle stud in West Wodonga, then a largely undeveloped area.
They started the Borderland Caravan Park in McKoy Street in 1975, but went on to pursue other opportunities four years later.
Mr House became a sub-agent with Lindsay Wheeler’s team at The Professionals in 1981 at a time when the growth centre was riding a real estate wave.
He stayed in the business until 1995, when he retired, but he wasn’t one to put his feet up.
Retirement was put on hold and he was soon back in real estate, working for some time on his own account and also with Stanley & Martin.
Mr House also supported his family in their business venture, the Farmhouse Restaurant in Melbourne Road, later converted to a Bumble Bee child-care centre, still with the family.
In all he worked in the real estate agency for 24 years and rarely missed a chance to attend any major land auctions up until this summer.
Mr House was in no hurry to become a naturalised Australian, but took that step in 2006, recalling his first days in this country.
“We were cold, of course, but we hadn’t seen so much food in years,” he said on becoming an Australia citizen.
“Now we have four children and 11 wonderful grandchildren here in Wodonga.”
Mr House died at his property at Barnawartha North.
