Perpetuity appeals to Les McGreevy

Les McGreevy doesn’t think of himself as a philanthropist, despite the 50 odd years he has spent volunteering his time and donating money to charities locally and nationally.

Les says that “apart from family and work, what I do in the community, has been by far the biggest interest in my life”.  

Born in Wellington and raised in Palmerston North, Les’s family had a link to Gisborne going back to the 1950s when they camped regularly at Churchill Park. 

In 1959 his father bought into a small local contracting business, Bitumen Sprayers, which would eventually bring Les permanently to Gisborne. 

A self-made man Les says “I’ve been fortunate in business, but I had to work hard at it. Essentially I was a labourer for 20 – 25 years and I loved the physical work.”

In the early 1960s Les gained experience in contracting and sealing working for the company that built Gisborne airport’s runway. He also worked at Manawatu Asphalts and Wanganui Asphalts, where among other things he learnt to hand spray bitumen. He would eventually buy both companies and begin his foray into business ownership.

It was around this time he noticed a gap in the market for ready-mix concrete in Palmerston North. He created Redicrete Concrete and bought a river quarry to supply the metal needed.

In 1968 he moved to Gisborne to help with the Bitumen Sprayers operation, which he also went on to buy. 

At their peak his companies in Manawatu-Wanganui and Gisborne grew to 200 staff members, for whom he created profit-share schemes and provided family medical insurance cover.

By the end of the 1980s he had sold these businesses and concentrated on property development and the sharemarket.

One of Les’s foremost property projects was Treble Court, which was named for his three daughters. It was the biggest private development in Gisborne at the time and despite being completed in the middle of the provincial downturn of 1986 was fully tenanted when it opened.

Les agrees with Winston Churchill when he said, ‘we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give’.  

“Working in the community has been one of the most important parts of my life. That’s not just words, it really has given me so much pleasure to realise that I can help people’s lives and communities.”

Les has been a regular supporter of Sunrise since it was launched in 2014. 

Glenda Stokes, Sunrise executive officer, says it is incredible that Les genuinely doesn’t see himself as a philanthropist. “Les told me that he’d never thought of himself in that way until I spoke about it. Generosity is ingrained in Les, he is a kind and modest person, and we appreciate all he has done to support Sunrise.”

Glenda can remember when Les made his first donation to Sunrise. 

“Les told me he was watching us closely and was just dipping his toe in with that first donation.”

Since then Les has donated regularly and is leaving a bequest in his will. 

He says it is “the fact the donation I give to Sunrise is perpetual that appeals to me. I’ve urged other people to try and give to Sunrise as well.”