Tale of the sale
BY ALEX TILBURY
Jim Kelly of Ray White Yamba is a third generation owner of the historic building at 45-49 Prince Street Grafton , built by his grandfather John Kelly .
The iconic commercial property recently sold under the hammer for $ 4.1 million - some $ 2 million over reserve .
The property , tenanted by national retailer Cotton On , was marketed by Ray White TKG agent Jake Kroehnert on behalf of the Kellys . Jim ’ s son Daniel Kelly called the auction .
“ And what a job he did as always , but this was special - they all had tears ,” Jim said of his son who now runs Ray White Yamba .
Jim said it was a bittersweet sale for his 99-year-old mum Shirley . The building attracted three registered bidders on auction day , with the winning bid going to an investor from Victoria .
“ It was a sad day in a lot of respects , particularly for Mum . However , the time has arrived as we ’ re not getting any younger .”
The Kelly family has a long and cherished history in the Clarence Valley . Jim started Ray White Yamba in 2005 and remembers meeting with Brian White at a function in Sydney .
“ I told Brian that it was the main thing that attracted me to the group - a family business . I sat and told him of our history and he was enthralled . There is just something about this that makes it special - we too must hold it dear as our family has ,” he said .
“ I ’ ve always run our business on the same moral grounds that I was taught by my grandfather and father , that will never change . And fortunately my son , Daniel , who now runs the business , has captured this same gene . My daughter Jenna has too .”
“ The building is very iconic to the history of the Clarence Valley and had been in the family since it was constructed in 1936 ,” Jim said .
Commercial agent and golf pro turned TV star
BY CASSANDRA GLOVER
After a horrific mining accident led to Jay Jones losing his left arm , the Ray White Commercial TradeCoast agent has adopted a ' sure , why not ?' attitude to trying new experiences .
This attitude led Jay to becoming a commercial real estate agent , a professional golfer , and , most recently , a TV star .
“ A little while ago I had a call about the option for being an amputee extra for the Tiger King series they were filming in Australia , but I was busy at the time so I said I was happy for them to call if another opportunity arose ,” Jay said .
“ A while later they reached out with an option to be part of the Netflix adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe .
“ Curiosity is the main reason I went for it . I ' ve adopted the ' sure , why not ?' mentality for trying new experiences .
“ I like the thought of having a variety of stories / experiences from my life for when I ' m older and talking with any grandchildren that may be around .”
After being asked to audition for a small speaking role , Jay said his “ acting inexperience was very evident ” so instead he played the part of an extra .
“ I ended up being on set for two days in a scene where the main characters and the prosthetics company in the story are having their big party at a restaurant in Darra ,” he said .
“ The really cool and unique aspect is the filming was done in the exact restaurant that Trent Dalton based the book on .”
A huge Vikings fan , Jay said the highlight of the experience was meeting Travis Fimmel , who plays the role of Lyle Orlik in the series .
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