The cattle-farming family of a hard man in Australia s World War II political leadership have reaped more than $100million with the sale of the huge property he bought in retirement.
Cecil Looker, private secretary to WWII Prime Minister Robert Menzies and later a chief of the Melbourne and Australian Stock Exchanges, bought the 434 hectare Merri Park property at Beveridge, 35km north of Melbourne in 1966.
A hard man with a large chip on his shoulder , Mr Looker relaxed at the property with his wife Jean from 1966, according to the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
In 1968 he hosted Prince Philip at the property, holding displays of boomerang throwing, sheep shearing and dog trials.