THE STRATHNAIRN CHARITY HOUSE: A Groundbreaking Female-Led Community Project

The Strathnairn Charity House has seen talented women and men across all sectors of the construction industry come together to deliver a project designed to help the local community while encouraging women to join the construction industry. This collaboration between Master Builders ACT, Ginninderry Joint Venture, Kane Constructions and Hands Across Canberra, has showcased the incredible women who are already working in the construction industry and will hopefully inspire many other women to join in the future.

On 25 March 2023, after a 1.5-hour auction in the pouring rain coupled with lighting and thunder, the house sold for $1,596,600. Proceeds from the sale of the home will go to Hands Across Canberra for distribution to Pegasus Riding for the Disabled, Karinya House and Canberra City Care Charnwood.

Master Builders ACT CEO, Michael Hopkins said of this project, ‘This is the fourth Charity House we’ve built in collaboration with Hands Across Canberra and I’m proud that our organisation can raise funds for the valuable charities they support.’

Mr Hopkins continued, ‘The generosity and dedication from MBA Members, in particular Jo Farrell from Kane Constructions, has been nothing short of extraordinary. This has been possibly the most turbulent time our industry has seen in decades, and still our members made time to support the local community.’

Hands Across Canberra CEO Peter Gordon remarked about the result, ‘I have been humbled to see the support provided by a wide cross-section of the construction industry together with the absolute commitment of all project partners to deliver a highcaliber home. These are organisations that are making a genuine difference in our community, and I can’t wait to see the ripple effect that will now flow from the Strathnairn Charity House.’

To raise additional funds for Hands Across Canberra, MBA ACT and Cricket ACT ran the inaugural Strathnairn Charity House Cricket Fundraiser on 3 March 2023. The cricket match saw the ACT Meteors face-off against the MBA Allstars. The MBA Allstars team was made of individuals from: Kane Constructions, Martin Donnelly, Intravision, Riverview Projects, Empowered Electrical, Construction Control Australia, Sunny Homes ACT and OzHelp. An additional $23,000 was raised for Hands Across Canberra in the lead-up to the auction.

The MBA ACT team looks forward to delivering another Charity Cricket Match in 2024 and continuing community fundraising activities throughout 2023.