Brothers Rupert and Elliot Kemeys of Ray White Lower Hutt happen to be amongst the youngest Real Estate Company Owners throughout the Ray White Australasian group – operating their successful New Zealand real estate business. Elliot attributes their success to their energy and vibrancy they have created in their office with an experienced sales team who always strive to innovate and and ultimately negotiate the best possible price for their clients and recognise that “without the support of our clients, of all ages, interests and incomes, we would never have realised our goal”.
Proving they have a passion for not only property, but people as well, the brothers also happen to be trustees of the Tinkerbell Trust. Through this trust Elliot and Rupert have been seeking funding for essential items for some of Lower Hutt’s most underprivileged kids to play football for the Naenae Football Club. In doing so the brothers also help to create a stable environment that so many of these children desperately need and that past juniors have enjoyed over many decades. Rae Beale, Ray White’s Central and North Island Business Performance Manager, comments: “we are both proud and humbled by the support programme Rupert and Elliot have put in place to assist these children, often refugees, settle, and find a sense of place, in their new country”.
Passionate football players themselves, Rupert and Elliot began coaching two of the junior football teams some years ago and quickly realised the harsh realities many of the young kids in the area faced. – With most away games being at least a twenty minutes drive and a lot of the children’s parents not having cars, the brothers offered to carpool young players to and from the games. – Rupert noted that they “would be lucky to have more than two parents supporting each game”. “The thing that stands out the most when we play at our home ground is there are hundreds of kids but only a handful of dedicated parents. At Naenae we make an extra effort to cheer on the kids and make them feel as if they have the biggest support crowd in the Hutt Valley” adds Elliot.
Naenae Football’s juniors have a proud history dating back to 1948 when two junior teams first joined the Hutt Valley competition. The club has always been home to many underprivileged youth players, providing most of these players with a sense of community and most importantly family. “Our juniors are the some of the most talented footballers that the wider Wellington region has to offer – consequently many of these high potential players are being offered incentives to play for other clubs and we are losing Naenae’s best talents that would otherwise stick around and help grow the club in the future.”