Lend Lease Primelife lose control of major VIC village - plus interesting rental model

In a fascinating exercise, the owners of Cumberland View Retirement Village in Wheelers Hill (Melbourne) arrived at 6 a.m. last Wednesday with security guards and locksmith to take back its management from Lend Lease Primelife. The contract had expired the night before. Apart from being a colourful spectacle, the identity of the owners is also interesting. 66% is owned by Sean Howard and 33% by Trevor Kennedy, the two partners with the Liberal Opposition, Leader Malcolm Turnbull, in the establishment of Australia's first successful email service, Ozemail. They each made a financial killing. It appears Howard and Kennedy have not been happy with the management of Cumberland View for many years, and despite Lend Lease Primelife working hard to build a working relationship with them, they were equally determined to take the management back. LLP has been reported by the Kohler Report to say that Howard’s behavior was ‘very shabby’. Separately however Howard is associated with the Arton Group and Kewarra Serviced Apartments in Cairns, which offers an innovative rental model. Check out ‘Lifestyle Options’ at www.kewarraservicedapartments.com.au