Disability leads to successful resort

Press, 15 February 1989, Page 17

Disability leads to successful resort

By

NICK BROWN

of NZPA in Sydney

A former New Zealand nurse, Ms Philippa Nichol, turned a personal calamity into a successful business and lifestyle by creating Australia’s first resort designed for people confined to wheelchairs.

Ms Nichol, aged 37, who hails from Katikati, lost her left leg six years ago yesterday when a truck backed over her motor-cycle and threw her under the wheels of an oncoming car in California. A seasoned traveller since leaving New Zealand in 1971, she decided to use her $150,000 compensation payment to buy 2.5 ha of land at Byron Bay on New South Wales’ north coast to build a resort for the disabled.

“I thought what am I going to do with this money, because I was spending it really fast,” she said.

"Everywhere I went for holidays I found it difficult to get around on a wheelchair, so I wanted to open a place suited for the disabled.” She decided to return to

Byron Bay, a favourite holiday spot for ; her while she lived in Australia in the 1970 s and now a favourite haunt for some of Australia’s rich and famous like Paul Hogan. Finding the sort of wooded flat land she was looking for, about 400 metres from the beach, she moved there in October, 1985. She arranged the building of the resort to plans designed by a prominent architect, Christine Vadazs, and was open for business by Christmas the next year. Ms Nichol laughed at one Australian newspaper description of her being an “eccentric millionaire,” saying that must be referring to her land being worth $1 million. “I suppose I am a bit eccentric — I am just me and I went ahead with this resort when people thought it was a bit crazy,” she isaid.

“I was told it was a pretty dumb Idea.”

Her creation — Wheel Resort — accommodates 12 people, but now she has asked another “wheelie” to become her business, partner so she expand by building

more cabins next year.

About a third of the visitors are disabled, but she likes to promote it as a place where people not confined to wheelchairs can enjoy themselves as well.

“Some people are scared of wheelies and are put off if they think they’re going to be with a bunch of wheelies. But it’s not like that,” she said. “It is a party place. We occasionally have live bands here.” The resort features a heated pool with a ramp for wheelchair access and a big activities area. Party times aside, it. is a quiet and secluded place, with nature walks, built by Ms Nichol and a group of helpers, through dry coastal'heath, littoral rain forest and wetlands.

“It is paying its bills and provides a service. It also gives me a job and a great lifestyle,” she said. Ms Nichol has been approached to build a similar resort in New Zealand. Although she said she could not afford it at the moment, she would help anyone else interested in developing it. jg .