‘Hot’: Doctor donates proceeds from $7.5 million Clovelly sale to charity – realestate.com.au

A respected doctor has donated the proceeds from the sale of her $7.5 million beach house to The Smith Family to help underprivileged children, and it’s already a hot property.

The two-bedroom, five-bedroom detached home on a 778sqm block at 9 Surfside Ave, Clovelly, with direct beach access, will go under the hammer on February 14 (Valentine’s Day) with a price quote of $7.5 million.

And the sales campaign is already going gangbusters, with PPD sales agent Alexander Phillips swamped with inquiries and a huge turnout at today’s first opening.

It was home to cardiovascular physician, researcher and scientist Dr Karen Duggan, who passed away in 2024 aged 72 after inheriting the prized property from her late parents, Andy and Jess.

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Dr. Karen Duggan … donating the proceeds from the house sale to The Smith Family would have been “a no-brainer” for her, according to her cousin Russell.

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The house is built on a 778 sqm block, the third largest in Clovelly.

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Dr. Duggan, who has never married and has no children, wanted the proceeds from the sale of the house to go to The Smith Family, Australia’s largest children’s charity.

The sales agent, Alexander Phillips of PPD, also donates his commission to charity.

“This doctor was clearly a very generous woman, so we will see a lot of money going to The Smith Family to help underprivileged children and schools,” he said.

“This house is already very popular.

“In the last 24 hours we have had more than 100 questions about REA – a quadruple of what we normally get – and during today’s open day, a Friday, we had 16 groups come in.

“We already have five contracts for it, so it’s going to be hot.”

Houses in Clovelly are always in high demand, but he says this one is particularly special as it backs onto a nature reserve leading to the beach and is the third largest landholding in the suburb.

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There are five bedrooms in total.

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It is known as ‘Caleula’ and is described as “a generational opportunity with direct access to the beach”.

The two-storey residence, which includes a recently renovated two-bedroom apartment downstairs, perfect for teenagers, also has 13.8m of frontage on one of Clovelly’s busiest streets.

There is a Carrara marble kitchen, three bathrooms, patio doors leading to a large terrace, a child-friendly garden and terraced lawns.

“Fall asleep to the sound of the waves, stroll down for a sunrise swim and enjoy effortless seaside living just a stone’s throw from The Cloey and village life or a lovely coastal walk to Bronte Beach in one direction and Coogee Beach in the other,” says the blurb.

Dr. Duggan was an Associate Professor of Medicine at UNSW from 1995 to 2008 and has served on the advisory committees of the National Heart Foundation, the NSW Department of Health and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.

The Carrara marble kitchen is a decent size.

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Three bathrooms, one of which has a spa.

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She co-founded Vectus Biosystems, where she served as medical and scientific director, focusing on treatments for fibrosis and hypertension.

Her research was driven by personal experiences – both of her parents had heart disease – and a strong desire to improve lives through science.

She grew up in Clovelly, attended Clovelly Primary School and Randwick Girls High, and later the University of Sydney.

Dr.’s cousin Duggan, Russell, says the decision to leave a gift in her will was a reflection of her passion for education and giving others a fair chance, which she also inherited from her parents.

“Karen always wanted to help people, that’s why she went into medicine in the first place,” he said.

“She came from a family that believed that everyone should get a fair chance, build a good life for themselves and contribute to society.

“So the choice to donate to The Smith Family was probably a no-brainer for her.”

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