Community

FN Kimberley Lake Argyle Swim breaks all records

👓 1.5 minute read

The 2025 First National Kimberley Lake Argyle Swim broke new records again, with 135 swimmers in teams from all over Australia competing in this year’s event.

As major sponsor,  FN Kimberley managed to squeeze 800 people in for the after party dinner and First National Real Estate was widely applauded as inception sponsor of the event, which started with just six swimmers 19 years ago.

Next year will be the 20th anniversary of this unique Australian event in the first weekend of May.  All of the accommodation is already sold out, but FN Kimberley Principal Brad Williams says ‘let me know if you want to join us and I’ll see what I can do!’.

RizeUp partnership strengthens agents’ community impact

👓 2 minute read

Warning: The below video could raise emotions for those with experiences of DV

At our National Convention in Port Douglas last week, the Board announced that RizeUp Australia will become the First National Foundation’s principal community partnership from 2025. The decision aligns our network with a charity whose purpose - turning empty properties into comfortable, secure homes for families escaping violence - matches the skills, resources and reach of every FN member office.

RizeUp’s volunteer crews, guided by frontline caseworkers, fully furnish a new residence within days so women and children can leave refuge and begin again with dignity. Each fit-out costs about $6,000 and depends on donated whitegoods, furniture, linen and labour - items and expertise real-estate professionals readily control through housing stock, supplier contacts or hands-on set-ups. Operating in every mainland state, the charity now outfits up to eight homes each week, yet demand still outstrips supply.

The need is acute. Domestic and family violence is the leading driver of homelessness for women and children; on average one woman is killed by a current or former partner every four days, and police recorded nearly 80,000 family-violence victims in 2023. 

By championing RizeUp, First National agents can:

• Leverage vacant-property calendars for rapid turnarounds
• Offer suppliers an ethical outlet for surplus goods
• Build staff morale through meaningful volunteering
• Show landlords and vendors that their agent invests locally

The Foundation will circulate toolkits shortly covering donation protocols, group volunteering days and promotional assets for social media and listing kits. 

We’ll be asking each FN office to please identify at least one practical way to support a RizeUp home before year-end. Your participation - whether a single appliance or a day on the tools - will directly determine how many additional families we can house in 2025. Converting market know-how into safe havens proves that First National Real Estate does more than transact property; we help rebuild lives.

Stay tuned!