Author // Shannon Edwards for Place Bulimba
Marisa Vecchio is a well-known member of our community, and if you’re not familiar with her, then there's a good chance you may recognise her property, Hanworth House, on the corner of the busy Lytton Road.
Hanworth House is more than just a safe haven and secure accommodation for those who need it, but it also hosts many significant events for the community, with a strong focus on charity and fundraising.
“I’ve always been very philanthropic, as has Hanworth House, so together we've been able to achieve many things for the greater community,” says Marisa.
Recognised for her great philanthropic efforts and all she gives to those in need, Marisa shares with us the exciting news of two extraordinary awards she was recently presented.
Tell us about yourself and what you do?
I’m the owner of Hanworth House, which is one of Brisbane’s most historical homes.
As we restored Hanworth, people started to live here, long and short term.
The history of Hanworth is very philanthropic, so we continued its legacy and repurposed the house to host those in need and events for the community.
Hanworth has become not only a great place to stay but also a wonderful community hub focussed on earning money for charity and benefiting local causes.
Watch the full video here
You’ve received a couple of awards recently, tell us about them?
Very surprisingly, I was delighted to be given one of the ‘Queens Birthday Honours’ and was made a member of the Order of Australia.
I was recognised for the work I used to do as CEO for a medical organisation that credits general practices and for the community work I do now.
I’ve always been philanthropic, including being involved with Zonta International and the Wantz Committee, which is a wonderful Committee that raises over $200,000 a year.
It was very much a community honour and I feel privileged and humbled.
Then on Friday of the same week I was equally honoured by the Queensland Community Fund, which helps fund a lot of smaller charitable institutions and I was made their Community Philanthropist of the Year.
The wonderful Quentin Bryce nominated me for that award so it was equally wonderful to win it, but I was also pleased she came to lunch with me as well when the announcement was made. It was truly memorable.
How do you think the community contributed to you receiving these awards?
After we bought Hanworth in 2012 and worked diligently on the property for six months, an arsonist came overnight and destroyed 80% of the work we had done.
I guess at the time I was at wit’s end about how I could rebuild the house. We had no cash flow and I didn’t know where we were going to go.
All of a sudden, people started coming to help whether they were clearing the garden and making the house more visible from Lytton Road or bringing morning tea to the workers.
Lots of people I didn’t even know came to lend a hand, moving furniture, scrubbing ash and donating goods to Hanworth.
From there, there was a real influx of community spirit, not just directly after the fire, but even to this day.
We now have a list of wonderful volunteers who we call on for assistance before charity functions and events.
So I guess, the community became very important to me and being philanthropic is a way I can give back.
Why do you think the community appreciates Hanworth House?
I think they’re really pleased that someone is taking the time, effort and money to restore the home.
After the fire it would've been easy to say ‘let’s just knock down the house and build a multi-story apartment block’. And I think if that were the case, then a very special part of Brisbane would've been lost.
We’ve also ended up hosting the East Brisbane Community Christmas Party for the past three years. We always light up the beautiful big tree at the front of the house, there’s a band, little food stalls and a sausage sizzle that the local IGA sponsors.
Everyone brings their kids down with picnic blankets to hear the music as Santa comes - the kids go wild as you can imagine.
It’s very special to be able to host those sorts of events that are a real testament to the sense of community we have here.
Read more about Marisa and Hanworth House HERE.