Thurston buys home where Greg Norman and Glenn Buchanan lived

In one of those strange twists of fate, the record-priced property that Johnathan Thurston has bought in Townsville was once the old home of two other sporting heroes in the city.

In one of those strange twists of fate, the record-priced property that Johnathan Thurston has bought in Townsville was once the old home of two other sporting heroes in the city.

Golfing superstar Greg Norman and Olympic swimming bronze medallist Glenn Buchanan also lived in the seafront home in Rowes Bay which is understood to have just sold for around $4.5 million.

When approached for comment, Mr Buchanan, who still lives in Townsville and operates the Glen Buchanan Swim School, said the coincidence was “quite amazing”.

“We lived in that house. All of our children were born (when we lived) there. We have very fond memories of that house,” Mr Buchanan said.

The Thurstons have just moved in, having bought the property for what would easily be a record for the area.

It was owned previously by Pickerings Auto Group managing director Brendan Pickering and his wife Angelique who undertook a complete makeover of the home, including an extension by buying the block behind.

It is now a sumptuously furnished and beautifully appointed two-level home with five bedrooms, all with ensuites, a study, media room, lounge, dining and entertaining area, pool, magnificent kitchen and superb drawing room where guests can be welcomed.

But when Greg Norman lived here in the 1960s and early ‘70s, the home was a basic highset Queenslander.

Instagram photo: Greg Norman posts a picture of himself as a child in Townsville.

Mr Buchanan is a former butterfly swimming champion won two bronze medals in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

He bought the Rowes Bay home in 1986 and lived there for about 10 years before upgrading to a larger property.

Mr Buchanan said it was a “great spot to bring up kids” but was unsure why it would necessarily attract sportspeople.

The house has views to Pallarenda beach and Magnetic Island, has a parkland in front where you can play cricket and footy and it’s in a small friendly neighbourhood.

“It’s a fantastic location,” Mr Buchanan said.

Glenn Buchanan in the Commonwealth Games 2018 Queens Baton Relay in Townsville. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Mr Pickering revealed how Greg Norman and his sister Janis had signed their names in concrete at the home when they were children but that it was lost during the home’s redevelopment.

Being a keen golfer, Mr Pickering had asked the builders to cut out the concrete with the signatures and set it aside but an apprentice, who did not know of the request, threw the concrete in a skip and it was dumped.

Mr Pickering said that lump of concrete was part of Townsville history. “It still breaks my heart to tell the story,” Mr Pickering said.

Mr Buchanan remembers the concrete where Greg and “Jan” signed their names, as well as some other peculiarities about the location.

He said the concrete was signed with Greg Norman’s full name and a date he believes might have been 1968. It was at the back of the property where a chook shed had been built.

Greg Norman’s father Merv had been an engineer with Mount Isa Mines.

Mr Buchanan said at the time they lived there one of the neighbours was a keen crabber who used to keep mud crabs in a tank to feed and fatten them up if they were at a stage in their life cycles when the shells were half empty.

Sometimes, the crabs would escape.

“We’d often find mud crabs in the garden bed,” Mr Buchanan said.

On one occasion they had fresh crab for dinner from the garden. How’s that for location.

Originally published as Thurston buys home where Greg Norman and Glenn Buchanan lived