The block has been donated by Debbie and Neville Purtill, and is located at the corner of Crispe and Wick Sts in Deniliquin’s east.It will be just one of the auction items presented for the Navorina Mega Goods and Services Auction, with organisers hoping to get up to 30 items in total.Mr Purtill, a local businessman and current chair of Navorina, said the land has been vacant and underutilised since they bought it about 13 years ago.
‘‘The land was once home to a Shell service station which was closed and demolished, and Debbie and I bought the land once it had been remediated,’’ Mr Purtill said. ‘‘We’ve just never had a project to work with. ‘‘Debbie and I wanted to contribute to the appeal personally, and we came up with this idea.’’
Mr Purtill said the original intention was to completely develop the land and build two town houses, which would then be auctioned. But he said Deniliquin’s current housing crisis — with little availability in rentals, homes to buy or vacant land to build on — spurred them to act faster. Services will be connected to the block before it is auctioned, and pre-approval for a subdivision will also be sought — should the successful bidder wish to go down that path. ‘‘Building the units ourselves would have taken too long, and we wanted to be able to raise the money now,’’ Mr Purtill said.
‘‘The block lends itself to a two lot subdivision, but we’ll auction it as one parcel on the night.’’ Mr Purtill said he’s been working on the land auction idea for several months, and sought advice from long-time real estate agent Lester Wheatley. As a result of those early discussions, Mr Wheatley and Elders Real Estate Deniliquin have offered their services to help with the auction.
Mr Wheatley said blocks like the one being auctioned are rare in Deniliquin. ‘‘The location is first class, in proximity to the Deniliquin RSL and Bowling Clubs, and the Deniliquin Golf Course. ‘‘To get a block of this type, in this location, you would need to first demolish a home, which is cost prohibitive. ‘‘It is a top spot for retirees in particular. ‘‘It is large enough for two decent townhouses at just over 1000m, or as a single use with a large yard.’’
The mega auction has been based around the Purtills’ land offer, and is being coordinated by new board member Sam Hall. Auction items will be varied, and will include lifestyle experience packages.The Navorina fundraising appeal has so far raised $340,000 of the $1 million required to upgrade the residential services section of the facility, where you will find the hairdresser, allied health consultation rooms, meeting rooms, a craft room, multi-media hubs, a new chapel, a cafe and visiting areas.
For more information about how you can help, call Navorina fundraising committee chair Justine Keech on 0427 811 866 or Navorina business manager Skye Parks on 5881 3944
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