Developer Bo Zhang buys Mosman home built for WWI diggers

A Chinese developer has purchased his fourth Mosman property in two years, this time snapping up a home built as a place of recovery for WWI diggers.

The Bay St home has sold for $6.6 million to Bo Zhang.

Chinese property developer Bo Zhang has emerged as the buyer of a Mosman home built as a place of recovery for World War I diggers.

Updated CoreLogic records show Mr Zhang’s GT Australia Investment Pty Ltd company paid $6.6 million for the Bay St home in April.

This is slightly less than the $7 million-$7.5 million guide that Richard Simeon of Simeon Manners set during the campaign.

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The sale takes the number of homes purchased in the Beauty Point by companies owned and directed by Mr Zhang in the past two years to four.

The plaque at the Bay St home is dedicated to Sapper A.K Millson. Picture: David Hadley.

This translates into $28.45 million worth of real estate, and follows the purchase of James Spenceley’s former home for $7.65 million in October, according to CoreLogic. That property was purchased under the ownership of Zhang’s New Zealand meat export company, Cuilam Investments Pty Ltd.

His new home is believed to have been built for returned diggers as a place for rest and recreation upon their return to Australia following the World War I.

The former owners of the home conducted a major renovation during their ownership.

The renovated home has a Hamptons-style flare.

A plaque unveiled by Oswald J Phillips, a solicitor for the NSW Attorney-General’s Department on March 6, 1926, dedicated the property to Sapper Arthur Keene Millson.

Mr Millson was a combat engineer and part of the 1st Australian Division Signals Company for the Australian Imperial Forces.

Sapper Milson died on September 24, 1917, while fighting during the Battle of Ypres. He is buried at Menin Gate Memorial in Belgium.

There is a swimming pool and small grassed area.

The Australia War Memorial records show he enlisted in February 1916 at the age of 39 and his service number was 14934.

He and his wife Veronica lived at 3 Paul St, Milsons Point, which is now an office tower and backs on to the site that is now North Sydney Olympic Pool.

Mr Zhang is one of the main backers behind AWH Investment Group’s One Circular Quay development.

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Originally published as Developer Bo Zhang buys Mosman home built for WWI diggers