ACCORDING to Gerard Gray, director and licensee of Dickens Real Estate, owners of the Bright agency have always been proud community contributors.

Patrick Dickens, son of the original proprietor Eileen Dickens, was a long-time member of the local Rotary club, as were former owners Rob and Shaaron Moore.

Gerard said even a couple of owners had been local councillors.

It’s a tradition that Gerard and agency manager Kellie Gray continue, while growing a business that has served Bright and surrounds for 70 years.

The pair won’t spruik their own efforts much, but Gerard is the president of the United Bright Football and Netball Club, meanwhile the company has contributed to various local community groups and they organise a map of Christmas installations around town every holiday season.

Kellie was also a member of the Alpine Community Recovery Committee formed after the 2019-2020 bushfires.

“Although Bright’s a tourist town it doesn't take you long to realise there's a real passionate community here as well, and we feel like we're very much a part of that,” Gerard said.

At the same time, growing the business has come naturally to Gerard and Kellie, giving Dickens Real Estate greater capacity to serve its customers and respond to changes in the market.

The business incorporates Dickens Real Estate, Bright Holiday Accommodation, Falls Creek Real Estate, and its latest offering - Bright and Sparkling Home Cleaning.

Dicken Real Estate is responsible for selling and managing homes, commercial and industrial properties and manages owners corporations.

“We cover everything that you can potentially do with the house or unit, or industrial commercial property,” Gerard said.

Bright Holidays is a locally owned and operated booking service for holiday homes offering a range of properties.

Kellie said having experience in both holiday and long-term accommodation allows them to give the most up-to-date advice on the best market for properties, especially important in a town so reliant on tourism and affected by the vagaries of snow and season.

Starting a cleaning business in 2021 was in response to a clear need to reassure owners that their properties could be cleaned quickly, particularly during Bright’s busy holiday periods.

Kellie said with more cleaning staff available they’ve been able to grow their holiday rental portfolio.

“We had to guarantee that the houses were going to get cleaned to a standard that we were happy with on time before the next guests arrive,” she said.

“If you're unable to do that, or you're away, we can guarantee that we'll get these properties cleaned for you.”

Gerard began working for Dickens Real Estate in 2003, the pair bought into the business in 2005, and they eventually became the sole proprietors in 2019.

But after 20 years they have no plans to go anywhere.

“We are proud of our team and we’re proud of our results,” Gerard said.

“We’re proud to be known as Dickens Real Estate.”