Janet and Peter Cooke, the owners of Richardson & Wrench Armidale, moved to the city in 2003. Before this they lived in the Southern Highlands which is quite close to Sydney. Even though Peter lived in the Southern Highlands he needed to commute every day to Sydney CBD for work. As you can imagine this long commute each day really took its toll on family life so they decided to move to a place that was vibrant but not hectic and busy.
Before moving to Armidale, Janet and Peter travelled around Australia with their kids in order to decide where they wanted to move to. They had previously visited Armidale and loved it, so all other places were compared to the City. Luckily, the family ultimately chose to move to Armidale.
Peter has had a diverse job history, but every job that he has had has related in some way to real estate and property. Peter was an Army Officer for many years as part of the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps. After that he worked as a management consultant in the field of supply chain and logistics. As part of his job, he advised people on where best to locate factories and warehouses and often participated in the site acquisition process.
Janet on the other hand was a geriatric nurse as well as a stay at home mum for many years. Whilst at home with the kids, Janet started renovating houses in order to nurture her interest in property as well as provide extra income for the family. Clearly the skill set that both Janet and Peter built up over many years is a perfect accompaniment to the real estate industry.
Peter and Janet’s renovation skills have also been recognised by the local community. In fact Janet and Peter are the current recipients of a Heritage Award in Armidale. They received this award in recognition of the beautiful restoration that they completed on a local heritage Arts & Crafts blue brick home.
Aside from having a strong interest in property and everything to do with period architecture and antique furniture, Janet and Peter also love to travel both in Australia and overseas. Funnily enough given their surname, their whole family enjoys cooking. In fact Janet and Peter’s kids are all qualified chefs as well as having other jobs. I bet their family gatherings are a treat for all the senses given their interest in property, antiques and cooking!