Murray Wigley from Ray White Unlimited in Christchurch made a three hour detour on his recent Queensland holiday to visit Ray White’s historic ‘Shed’ in Crows Nest – what could be described as the most valuable property in the White Family.
Ray White, opened his original business in a disused railway siding shed at the end of the railway line in the early 1900s. The building, now commonly referred to as The Shed, was the first ever shop-front for the Ray White company. The Shed has since been removed and restored from its railway location to its present location: in the beautiful historical village of Crows Nest. Ray White’s family home was also acquired and now sits alongside The Shed in the same village. – This was Alan White’s 90th birthday present to his sons.
Located in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, near Toowoomba, Crows Nest is a town located on the New England Highway, 158 kilometers from Brisbane with a population of around 1,500 residents.
“The whole village is styled like a “yesteryear” place. The Crows Nest building is certainly the feature of the town. Also there is the Ray White House which has been moved there. They have a butchery and bakery in an old-fashioned style. The locals are often bringing relics to add to the collection, so that you can go into the buildings and see how they would have operated. It’s really nice, and certainly a special place. We stayed there for about an hour and a half.” says Murray
“It’s great to see where Ray White started from as I do believe in this company and it is a big family. It’s good to say I’ve been there, where it all started. I think the family values is a great ongoing thing with the industry we are in as that is who we are dealing with all the time. It’s a great concept to align with. We’re all about family values.” says Murray. “It was a last minute decision to pop in to Crows Nest, and I had to talk my wife into it, but we had the time, and I had been speaking to Carey Smith about the importance of family values and history… It was my first time visiting The Shed, and I wanted to get a few photos for the back of my business card as well … I actually took a suit, and a ‘Driza-Bone’ style coat, but had to borrow the hat from the museum. – Fortunately it was a beautiful typical Queensland day.”
Murray Wigley has worked in Real Estate for 12 years in the Christchurch area, and has sold over 100 properties the area since the first earthquake alone! – Prior to working in real estate Murray managed a TAB, and leased two taverns – one just out of Gore and another in Alexandra. He is a people person and certainly used to working long hours (skills which have transferred well to his real estate profession).
The Shed continues to be used to this day and hosts several milestone events for both the White family, and the Ray White company.
– Read more about the history of Ray White here on our website.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWfP5fbIPWg[/youtube]