Scott Whybin and Cathy Hains sell South Yarra house on the hill
Adman Scott Whybin and his wife, Cathy Hains have sold their redundant South Yarra home. It has been bought by Renato Pellicano, a third generation member of the Rich Listers, the Pellicano family whose wealth was laid by late patriarch Rocco Pellicano’s concreting and bricklaying business after he moved to Australia from Italy in 1951 to join his brother Mick in starting the business.
The group now owns and manages more than 180 properties, and also co-owns the Gold Age aged care group, which operates four homes in Melbourne.
The South Yarra house came with initial $7 million plus hopes earlier this year. No sale price has been revealed by the Kay & Burton agency. The four bedroom Murphy Street Victorian family residence was marketed as one of very few two storey freestanding houses in the suburb.
Title Tattle recalls its 1996 auction when it fetched $1.49 million through Bennison Mackinnon which was $290,000 over the reserve price. But it subsequently sold to the current vendors just two years later at $880,000.
For seven decades it had been the home of Sir Harry Chauvel, the commander-in-chief of the First Light Horse Brigade, and his family, who sold the property in the late 1970s for $148,000. He would ride the tan track in Domain every morning, except Sunday, with a horse brought up from Remount Depot near the army headquarters in Victoria Barracks until just before his 1945 death.
His guests through the years included artist Arthur Streeton and his Canadian violinist wife, Nora Clench.
The house was first renovated in 1981 under the direction of architect Wayne Gillespie.
Last year Whybin and Hains were the buyers of the South Yarra home of the former VFL footballer Craig Stewart for $8.2 million which sold through Andrew Baines of Kay & Burton, who also had the latest listing.
Whybin is the founder of the advertising agency Whybin\TBWA and Hains runs the thoroughbred breeding operation, Burnewang North.
The Pellicanos have $120 million worth of residential towers under construction in Brisbane, along with land banks on the Sunshine and Gold coasts.
The family, whose wealth is estimated by the BRW Rich List at $285 million last year, has recently launched Trafalgar Lane, a 20-level Brisbane apartment two with around 70% sold off the plan.