Richard and Suzy Williams with their children Lily, seven months, and Chloe, 4. Photo / Caroline Fleming
Richard and Suzy Williams with their children Lily, seven months, and Chloe, 4. Photo / Caroline Fleming
A charity house "built with love" as a fundraiser for Papamoa Surf Club has been auctioned to the most suitable of potential buyers - a local volunteer lifeguard and his young family.
A 383sq m section at Lot 303 Te Wharo Dr was gifted in December last year by Terrace Views and GJ Gardner offered to build a 182sq m house to be auctioned off to help raise the money needed to fund the surf club's $5 million rebuild project.
The sale contributed $480,000 to the Pāpāmoa Community Surf Rescue Base Trust's rebuild.
The lucky buyers Suzy and Richard Williams both grew up in the Pāpāmoa area, with Richard a volunteer lifeguard at the local surf club.
Suzy Williams said it was a win-win for the family, as they got a beautiful home as well as a chance to give back to the community and the surf club they loved.
The pair said the house and the area would be perfect for their two little girls Chloe and Lilly to grow up and go to school in.
Their daughters would no doubt spend a lot of the time at Pāpāmoa Beach as they grow up and would most likely become nippers for the club as soon as they could.
Eve's auctioneer Grant Child held the auction for the home. Photo / Caroline Fleming
Richard Williams said it was great to be able to give back to the "superheroes on the beach".
As the auction took place yesterday afternoon, he said his heart rate was through the roof and he even tried to leave the room at times to calm his nerves.
A big smile crossed his face when asked how he felt when the hammer dropped - "over the moon".
He said the family could tell that the house was built with love and everything in it was top quality.
Pāpāmoa Community Surf Rescue Base Trust chairman Jim Pearson said he was thrilled and that the sale would make a significant difference toward the club rebuild.
He said the club was still hopeful to start the build in the next few months.
Pearson said he and the trust were incredibly appreciative of everyone who contributed to the charity house and land project.
Shane and Kirsty McConnell of GJ Gardner Homes said the family was "literally the sort of people we built it for".
Michelle Crook (left), Jim Pearson, Richard Coles from the Pāpāmoa Community Surf Rescue Base Trust and the Williams family. Photo / Caroline Fleming
Kirsty McConnell said the house was designed for a local young family who loved the beach, with extra space in the garage for bikes, surfboards and a large laundry space for "all the sandy beach clothes".
She said the clubrooms were in desperate need for a revamp and they were more than happy to back a service that saved lives.
After the sale, Kirsty McConnell said they were going to be able to give a massive $480,000 to the club.
A spokeswoman from Zariba, who gifted the land, said they were delighted with the outcome for both the family who purchased the house and the Pāpāmoa Surf Club.
