THE WOMAN BEHIND THE NAME

Helen Gebhardt was a woman ahead of her time - she was defiant and stubborn, extremely independent and intelligent, renowned for her honesty and a true character. She was even the first woman to drive a car by herself from Adelaide to Sydney.

When she set her mind to something, she did it. So in 1955, when, at the age of 50, she launched her real estate business in Mount Gambier, there were those that knew she meant business. However, as the lone female in the industry, she also had her fair share of knockers - “Miss Gebhardt you won’t last six months” was a common adage.

She started business in a tiny room at the foot of the stairs of the Jens annexe with a second hand typewriter and a desk purchased in Adelaide. One year later as the business grew she moved to 18 Watson Terrace.

The extent of Miss Gebhardt’s generosity to local charities is not widely known, and she often took the cause to help many families from the European community who had moved to the area to enable them to purchase a home.

Miss Gebhardt was dedicated to her business and still worked at the agency right up until she was 85 when ill health forced her to retire from the business.

FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

In 1991, the Gebhardts team moved into a new office complex in Helen Street where the business has continued to grow from strength to strength. Today the agency is one of the largest, independent real estate firms in the South East and prides itself on its professional and friendly service.

The Chuck family is now synonymous with Gebhardts Real Estate with three generations currently involved. Director, Ron Chuck, commenced in 1969 and has been a major contributor to the growth of the firm. Son, Paul, commenced as a salesperson in 1988 and became a Director of the company along side his father.

Sales Manager David Height joined the team in 2000, his experience and knowledge of the local district in residential/commercial sales and the rural area has assisted Gebhardts ongoing growth and success. New faces to the Gebhardts team are Joanne Campbell and Ben Jeffrey who are already building a strong rapport with clients due to their professional approach, making a combined selling experience of almost 100 years to the sales team.

MANAGING YOUR PROPERTY

Gebhardts Property Management is now operated from its own premises at 44a Gray Street, allowing the already thriving sales and rental offices to expand and compliement each other. The rental office boasts an abundance of skill and knowledge in property management, commercial management and general real estate.

Property Manager Sharyn Ferguson has 30 years experience in the real estate industry with the last 17 years in property management. Sharyn is extremely dedicated to excellence in managing your investment property and committed to providing the best service to you as a valued client. Newest member of the Gebhardt’s Property Management team is Paula McQuade having been in the real estate industry for the past 4 years and she has been specializing in property management.  Paula has a friendly yet firm approach to any situation that may arise and prides herself on scrutinizing applications. Lisa Kovaleff has been part of the real estate industry for 27 years with the last 10 spent in property managment. She has an efficient manner and friendly outlook.

Sharyn, Paula and Lisa share the Gebhardts principles and philosophies of working together in a team approach to provide the highest standard of service to landlords and tenants alike.

back to top