Ted and Judi celebrate Queensburgh’s past

WELL known real estate agents, Ted and Judi McDonald, recently met with the Queensburgh News to reminisce about their early days in the town. Hailing from London and Leicestershire respectively, the couple has made a home in Queensburgh with friends and fond memories that date back to the 80s.

“The area was quieter,” recalled Judi. “Things were very different from today, for instance, we had pointsmen on duty with their white gloves on the roads instead of robots,” she said.

The another fond memory the McDonald’s hold dear is the cost living.

“A three-bedroom house, with one-and-a-half bathrooms and a single garage would cost R75 000 and you could rent for R300 to R400 a month for a three-bedroom house and if you had a garage you’d pay about R50 more.”

“Petrol cost R2 a litre. The rate of exchange was R3.90 to the pound in 1988,” said Ted, who is also a Totenum Hotspur fan.

With an engineering and real estate background, Ted’s move into the area was to escape the fast paced life and start afresh.

“I’d hate to be back in London with its hustle and bustle, it was bad enough in those days. Queensburgh is like living in the country compared to living in London which is like living in Joburg. I love the peace and quiet and the weather here. I walk around in my vest and shorts especially now that I don’t have to go to work,” he said.

The retired agents enjoyed 17 successful years in finding and selling people’s homes.

In just their first year of operation, they completed almost 50 sales and 180 over the next three years in the process of becoming the first established and successful husband and wife partnership in the real estate business.

“I think we did well because other agencies were just a name, whereas, Ted and Judi McDonald were people. It was a personal touch. We also marketed ourselves very heavily. We were the first company to put photographs of ourselves on business cards, on ‘for sale’ and ‘show house’ boards and on our company cars,” said Ted.

Adding to their list of firsts, they were among the first agents in the country to obtain a diploma in Advanced Property Practice.

“People make Queensburgh special. The Pick n Pay centre was like a meeting place, even now, it still is. People still recognise us and greet us when we’re there,” said Judi.

Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.

You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.