We were just passing through on a holiday

WHEN Margaret and I arrived on the Sunshine Coast in 1987, it was meant to be the first stop on a long journey.

Harry Reed and his wife Margaret were only passing through the Sunshine Coast in 1987 but they never left and have had a significant impact on its development. Picture: Warren Lynam/179874

WHEN Margaret and I arrived on the Sunshine Coast in 1987, it was meant to be the first stop on a long journey.

Our children Ken and Sharon had left home and we decided to leave our busy lives in Grafton to travel around Australia on a two-year working holiday.

Thirty years later, we're still here and more connected to the Sunshine Coast than we could ever have imagined.

I hadn't really heard of the Sunshine Coast before we came here but Ken had married Sunshine Coast girl Leanne, so a visit to her parents saw us lock in Maroochydore as the first stop.

I was a bricklayer by trade and while enjoying prawns and chips at the Kawana Hotel, I bumped into an old friend who convinced me to help his crew for a few weeks. That led to several other jobs on the Coast, one of which was bricklaying at the Hyatt Regency Coolum.

Harry and Margaret at the Bloomhill Cancer Care race day at Corbould Park. Picture: Erle Levey

My move into the development industry on the Coast started with my first spec home. Margaret noticed a sign outside a real estate agent advertising a block of land with 40 metres of canal frontage in Hideaway Waters for $25,000.

Even in those days, that was a steal and it ended up being my first project on the Coast.

We weren't there long before we sold the home and so it continued. Interest rates were high after the 1987 financial crash, creating opportunities aplenty but also considerable risks. You had to get it right or risk losing everything!

As the number of projects increased, I established Reed Property Group (RPG) and progressed to duplexes in Nambour, Mudjimba, Marcoola and Twin Waters before moving to six and 12-townhouse sites. It was a good time to be investing in the Coast in the 1990s and the group went from strength to strength.

Our offices grew from small premises in Buddina in the early days to a substantial headquarters in Duporth Ave in the early 2000s when we employed more than 120 staff. They were busy and exciting times and the long days were even longer, thanks to my passion for training racehorses. Sixteen-hour days were the norm and I loved it!

Harry enjoys the view over the Sunshine Coast he helped mould. Picture: Nicholas Falconer

Our team at RPG, which included our construction division RCQ Construction, went on to deliver major projects such as: our first high-rise project Aurora, Riva, m1 Apartments and Platinum in Maroochydore; Chancellor Village and Flame Tree Pocket in Sippy Downs; as well as many more projects here on the Coast and as far afield as Townsville, Moranbah and Brisbane.

It wasn't without its challenges. In our industry, good times always mean a shortage of good tradespeople. Rates were astronomical and without good relationships with good people, it was virtually impossible to get people onsite.

These great people also made it possible to achieve some amazing outcomes through the Reed Charity Foundation. The generosity of Sunshine Coasters never ceases to amaze me and we delivered projects I'm really proud of today, including the Sunshine Coast Hear and Say Centre, the hydrotherapy pool centre at the Currimundi Special School, the 100-bed children's orphanage in the tsunami-affected village of Matchilipatnam in India and Reed Charity House in Nambour.

By 2007, I'd stepped out of Reed Property Group and handed over the reins to Ken. The plan was to slow down and spend more time with my racehorses. However, by the time my grandson Tim asked me what it took to build a development company in 2014, I realised that it would be fun to get back into the game again with my family by my side.

Harry and grandsons Tim Reed, Brad Reed and Jack Norbury ... a new generation set to make their mark. Picture: Erle Levey

HMR Projects opened its doors in 2014 and at one stage, with Ken and Sharon both involved, I was working with six members of my family across three generations. Amongst other successful projects, we recently launched my final development, Sage Landing, in Buderim and it was at this launch that I announced my retirement.

It's time for Margaret and I to enjoy what the Sunshine Coast is famous for while Ken and Sharon continue to take HMR Projects to new heights.

To be honest, the Sunshine Coast has been wonderful to us and now that I'm retiring, I look back and realise that it's the wonderful people and relationships I have built over the years that make this place so special.

Of course, there was lots of hard work, a good few gambles, the highs and lows of volatile economic times and numerous opportunities that came my way over the years, but ultimately it's the generous spirit of the Coast and the genuine people who live here that have defined my experiences.