Bidja Atkinson gives parents new Echuca home for Christmas

An auto electrician stuck in Western Australia has given his mum and unwell dad a half a million dollar home in Echuca just in time for Christmas.

An auto electrician stuck in Western Australia has given his parents a half a million dollar home in Echuca just in time for Christmas.

Bidja Atkinson, 29, had been dreaming of buying his mum and dad, Judy and Clive, a property for six years and had been working 12-hour days to make it a reality.

The four-bedroom home was designed by his best mate Bill Craft and is Echuca’s new housing estate on Yakoa Natya Ave.

Bidja, who lives at Hamilton Hill in Perth, said he showed his mum and dad the beginning of the $470,000 home last year, saying it was Bill’s “display home”.

Former Echuca man Bidja Atkinson has given his parents a brand new home just in time for Christmas. Pictures: Supplied

The back of the home that an Echuca man gifted to his parents for Christmas. Picture: Supplied

They cried when he told him it was theirs to keep.

“It’s one of my biggest achievements,” Bidja said.

“It was hard because I haven’t had much reception so trying to pick things while I was working away was tough.”

Bidja bought the land in 2019 before construction started at the beginning of last year.

The home was built with recycled red bricks, a 4.5m high raked ceiling and stone benches with spotted gum cabinets in the bathrooms and floor to ceiling tiles.

Bidja said he had planned to wait to tell his parents but feared time wasn’t on his side given his dad’s poor health.

“At the moment my dad’s health (he has emphysema) isn’t that great, and neither is mums, and they have a (pig) farm out past east boat ramp. And dad has never wanted to sell it so I thought I would make life a bit easier so I surprised them.”

Bidja, 29, is living in Perth and will not be able to return to Echuca because of border restrictions.

Bidja said giving his parents a new home was one of his biggest achievements to date. Picture: Supplied

Bidja decided to show them the house last year when it was yet to be finished.

“I said, ‘Let’s go for a drive, Bill’s got a display home he wants to show’,” he said.

“I walked them through the home and said, ‘What do you think?’ They said ‘It’s a beautiful home’. I said, ‘This is your new home’ ... they started crying.”

Bidja said his parents moved in recently and are looking forward to spending their first Christmas in a new home.

He said it was his way of giving back to the people who had supported him for so long.

“They’ve helped me a lot over the years, especially when I was younger,” he said.

“There’s been ups and downs in the family but now it’s my turn to look after them.

“I can’t get back for Christmas (because of border restrictions).

“I just wanted to look after my family. I don’t want anything in return.”