Annette Sharp: John Singleton selling his Hawaiian beachfront home

What do Prime Minister Scott Morrison and larrikin businessman John Singleton have in common? They both think Hawaii is hardly worth the trouble, writes Annette Sharp.

They may be polar opposites when it comes to politics, but it seems there is one subject on which Aussie wayfarers ScoMo and businessman John Singleton agree — Hawaii is hardly worth the trouble.

Three years after splashing out $9.3 million on a slice of picturesque Lanikai Beach on the east coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, one-time radio boss Singleton has listed his tropical paradise.

John Singleton is selling his home in Hawaii. Picture: Ryan Osland

Michelle Leslie in the corporate box that she designed for John Singleton at Randwick Racecourse.

Singo’s 1935 beach bungalow has returned to the market with an asking price of $17.3 million, nearly double what the legendary ad boss paid for it in August 2019.

Two years after Singo told this columnist he planned to spend “at least every autumn and winter” on Lanikai Beach for the rest of his days, the seasoned Aussie is pulling the pin on his Hawaiian retirement dream having decided, it seems, he’d rather spend the rest of his twilight years at his horse property at Mt White, an hour north of Sydney.

A little over a year ago, Singo said of his new house: “The sea will take the house one day, but I’ll be beyond caring. The location is beautiful. I’ve found my own peaceful haven.”

Singo’s Hawaiian home before Michelle Leslie’s makeover …

… and after, with new furnishings and window coverings.

The house, which may now be called “Makai” (meaning seaward) and not “Shells” (a nod either to his live-in decorator/ex-model friend Michelle Leslie or Singleton’s well-concealed passion for seashells), was transformed by Leslie during a year-long makeover that was begun in 2020 and finished shortly before Singleton arrived in August 2021 for his only extended visit.

That visit, for which he was joined by older on/off partner Vanessa Merrin, new girlfriend/carer Kim Dennis and Leslie, lasted three months – the minimum stipulated by his US visa. By November, he was back in Sydney for his 80th birthday, telling anyone who cared to listen he didn’t much care for Hawaii after all.

Images posted by real estate agencies last week gave a glimpse of the renovations executed by Leslie, who has also transformed Singo’s Mt White pub, his private suite at Royal Randwick and at least one of his pubs.

The property is back on the market three years after Singleton bought it in August 2019

A white baby grand piano takes pride of place in the living room.

While little has changed externally on the 1300sqm site, internally the place has had a thorough revamp with new kitchen, bathrooms, floor and window coverings, and furnishings in three separate dwellings boasting five bedrooms.

A local government DA lodged by Singleton soon after purchase indicated he would spend around $400,000 on the refurb. Leslie has spent the money creating a high-end 1970s vibe. Gone are all the tired and outdated fixtures.

In their place are the signature style elements for which Leslie has become known since reinventing herself as an interior designer — leather chairs and couches, modern pendant lights, natural slate floor tiles, and marble and timber accents.

Large ceiling-to-floor sliding windows in the main house have replaced the original boxy windows opening up the view.

A white baby grand piano now takes pride of place in the living room.

An outside bar has been given a minor revamp while the two guest cottages have also been refreshed. Singleton’s Hawaiian love affair will likely be remembered for its brevity — much like some of his relationships with women.

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