Why tight-knit is the right tone for Korumburra

Jack Gilchrist has made a name for himself in the real estate business in South Gippsland, a genuinely happy man who makes sure everyone feels his positive energy. He is also renowned for his giving and his love for Korumburra. Here he shares a few thoughts on his beloved town.

What is it about Korumburra that you think is so special?

Jack: I think that we are so lucky to live in such a wonderful small community with such a diverse range of people from all walks of life – some long time locals, some new arrivals and everyone in between – who all share the same love for the town. We have the most picturesque surroundings with rolling hills in every direction, local businesses to cater for our every need and most importantly, a strong and tight-knit population who stick together and help each other when needed. Unlike a lot of other small towns, despite our continued growth we have not lost that ‘small country town’ feeling and you will never walk down the main street without sharing a friendly smile or bumping into somebody you know.

You've proven to be a giver in our community, always giving back and whilst you have a business to run it seems to have a much deeper meaning. What is that for you?

Jack: From a very young age, I was always raised to help those in need and give back wherever I could – I am a big believer in supporting the community that supports me and I always strive to give back whenever I can. I built my business from the ground up and would not be where I am today without the support of our community in so many different ways, from trusting me to sell their homes right down to a simple referral. Helping people fills my cup and I genuinely enjoy giving back – we currently sponsor and support 18 different local sporting clubs, community groups and charities and the list continues to grow. My plan in business was never to make millions and build a big mansion – my goal is slow but continual growth and to establish deeper roots into our local community so that I can continue to give back for years to come.

Your giving throughout Covid, vouchers and other support, was so well received. What made you reach out like that?

Jack: In our line of work, we meet a lot of different people every day and as the cost of living pressures increased, we were continually meeting more and more people that were genuinely struggling. Our new office is directly opposite the Community Hub and Foodbank and the amount of people coming out every day with food packages was a real eye-opener so my colleague Jassy and I thought about ways that we could help. We decided to give away ten $50 vouchers to those in need and approached the Foodbank to see what they were in need of the most before filling the ute with food and dropping it off. I haven’t always been as fortunate as I am now and there have been times where I have needed to reach out for help so being in the position now to give back is a wonderful thing and something I’ll never take for granted.

When you think about the word resilience, what does that mean to you?

Jack: To me, I think the word resilience is about your ability to get back up when you’re down, to keep pushing through despite any hurdles you face and most importantly, to never give up. I’ve definitely faced my fair share of hurdles over the past few years and the real estate industry can be incredibly challenging at times but I feel that every challenge is an opportunity to grow, learn and adapt. Life without challenges would be pretty boring.

What positive changes would you like to see in our community?

Jack: I genuinely can’t think of any changes that our community needs that aren’t currently underway – the new streetscape revitalisation project is coming along incredibly well and I hope that our local business owners can understand the short term inconveniences will absolutely be worth the long term gain. We don’t have a single vacant shop in the main shopping strip with many new thriving businesses coming to town, a thriving local sporting community, a wonderful new Community Hub, the 2025 Garlic Festival planning heavily underway and (hopefully) a fantastic new supermarket coming soon. With groups such as the Korumburra Round Table and Korumburra Staying Strong, any possible issues or changes that are needed are quickly identified and advocated for and we as a community can feel positive knowing that our town is constantly growing and changing for the better as a result of the hard work of these volunteers.

Please finish this sentence. When I think about Korumburra my thoughts immediately go to ...

Jack: Our community – sure, we are surrounding by beautiful rolling hills, we have so many beautiful historic homes and buildings and we’re just an hour from the CBD and 20 minutes from the beach, but all of these things would be nothing without a strong community of locals who genuinely care about our town. Whether it’s a community event or a lost dog, you can be sure that our town will drop everything and help. A community like this doesn’t just happen overnight can also be so easily lost in the event of rapid growth or change but for Korumburra, I don’t think we’ve got anything to worry about.

Area Specialist Jack Gilchrist with colleague Jassy Batrouney. Together they’ve brought the joy of giving to our community.