Thelma Hodkinson
Director, Ray White Bridgeman Downs
Thelma brings to Ray White a lively personality and zest for life. Born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, she was brought up on the family farm and had an enviable childhood riding horses, fishing and attending to the livestock together with her six brothers and sisters. Having completed her education Thelma became very involved with Lions International a charity organization strongly established in South Africa and did a lot of work amongst the underprivileged and elderly.
It was here that Thelma met her husband Paul whom she married a couple of years later. Soon afterwards they were transferred to the Natal North Coast where Thelma worked in the finance sector specializing in motor vehicle and equipment leasing.
When not working she enjoyed the beachside location of their home. Both Thelma and her husband were keen snorkelers and enjoyed many a fresh seafood barbeque – the rewards of crayfish diving less than 100 metres from their home.
Sadly this idealic life was to end four years later when they were transferred to Johannesburg where Thelma entered the challenging world of risk analysis and worldwide reinsurance having joined Swiss Re as Personal Assistant to the Managing Director.
Five years later they moved to Cape Town where Paul started his own real estate business and Thelma was offered a position as PA to the chairman and managing director of Mercantile and General Insurance, a position she held for seven years before immigrating to Australia.
Arriving in Melbourne with a twelve month old daughter and a husband who as Franchise Director for Ray White travelled five days a week presented Thelma initially with challenging times. Thelma loved the big city ... especially the fashions and the freedom of being out and about and able to enjoy the many parks around Melbourne and beautiful bicycle rides that could be taken along the Yarra River.
An opportunity to buy Ray White Aspley four years later gave Thelma and Paul an opportunity to once again get back into their own business and in 1998 they made the move to Queensland and never looked back.
Ray White Aspley was quickly followed by a succession of offices that Paul and Thelma opened, the most recent of which was the boutique office of Ray White Bridgeman Downs. This office, situated in the upmarket Metro on Beckett Shopping Centre, has been a resounding success.
At Ray White, we are very aware that our reputation is based upon the skill and dedication of our people who so clearly “make the difference”. We know the service and advice you receive from our people will be of the highest order and that entrusting your real estate decisions to Thelma will be in your best interests, now and in the future.
