A Wavell Heights home has delivered a record-breaking $2.9 million result for premature and seriously ill babies, with the auction carrying an especially personal connection for one of the campaign’s long-time supporters.
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The five-bedroom property at 9 Luke Street was the 2026 House For Life, a charity project led by Plantation Homes, with 100 per cent of the auction proceeds going to the Mater Foundation.
For Emily Day, who had spent years promoting House For Life campaigns, the latest project became deeply personal when her own twin sons needed care in Mater’s neonatal unit.
Day and her partner Tim welcomed identical twins Joey and Jasper nine weeks early on February 22. Born at 31 weeks, the boys weighed 1.4kg and 1.6kg respectively and were taken to the Neonatal Critical Care Unit at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital.
It was the same unit Day had supported through her work with Plantation Homes. The twins spent eight weeks in neonatal intensive care and Special Care before they were finally able to go home. Now six months old, Joey and Jasper are reportedly thriving, having grown to around four times their birth weight.
The experience gave Day a personal perspective on the fundraising work she had been involved in for years. The campaign’s purpose had taken on a new significance after her own family experienced Mater’s neonatal care.
A Wavell Heights home with a bigger purpose
The Luke Street property was built as the 2026 House For Life, with its sale raising funds for Mater’s care of premature and seriously ill babies.
The Plantation Homes Lillian 438-D47 is a 47-square, double-storey net-zero home on a 708sqm block. It includes five bedrooms, three bathrooms, multiple living zones, a theatre room, upstairs leisure area and an expansive kitchen with a walk-in butler’s pantry.
Outside, the property features open-plan living and dining areas, a large under-roof alfresco area, swimming pool and professional landscaping. The home was also fully furnished, with tradespeople, suppliers and industry partners contributing their time, materials and expertise to the project.
More than 100 groups had inspected the property before auction day, according to the selling campaign. For Wavell Heights, the project combined a newly built home with a fundraising campaign supporting premature and seriously ill babies at Mater.
Then came auction day.
Auction result sets new House For Life record
On August 8, the property sold for $2.9 million, setting a new House For Life campaign record. The home was purchased by Hendra resident Declan Coady, who had inspected it five times before the auction. He said the property’s size, location and charitable purpose all appealed to him.
The result surpassed the previous House For Life record of $2.45 million, set in 2025. Mater Little Miracle Oliver, who was born at just 25 weeks and spent 105 days in Mater’s Neonatal Critical Care Unit, opened the auction before bidding began.
As the final bid was accepted, the crowd included Mater families, volunteer tradies, suppliers, project partners and members of the Wavell Heights community. The $2.9 million raised will support Mater’s work with premature and seriously ill babies, including specialised neonatal care, lifesaving equipment and research.
For Day, the result marked what she described as a full-circle moment. After years of promoting fundraising efforts for critically ill babies, she had experienced Mater’s neonatal care with her own children.
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The funds raised from the Wavell Heights home will help Mater continue providing specialised care, equipment and research for premature and seriously ill babies and their families.
Published 11-August-2026
