Former SA home of politician Sir William ‘Black Jack’ McDonald hits the market

The former home of a long-serving Victorian MP has been given a stunning facelift and is looking for new owners that will appreciate its history.

Originally built in the 1920s for Liberal MP Sir William “Black Jack’’ McDonald, 46 Foster St, Naracoorte, has undergone a three-year renovation to bring it into the modern era.

Sir McDonald, who was born at nearby Binnum, on the South Australian-Victorian border, was first elected to the Victorian parliament in 1947.

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The Naracoorte home at 46 Foster St was built for Sir William “Black Jack’’ McDonald in the 1920s.

Sir William McDonald died in 1995.

His former home was renovated over three years.

The home has four bedrooms and two bathrooms.

He lost his seat in 1952 but was re-elected three years later and became Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

Knighted for his service to parliament in 1958, Sir McDonald later served as Minister of Lands, Soldier Settlement and Conservation, where he controversially proposed to develop the Little Desert, in Victoria’s north-west.

His plan never eventuated and Sir McDonald again lost his seat in 1970. He died in 1995.

Vendor Peter Janetski, who bought the four-bedroom home with wife Ella in 2022, said Sir McDonald, who was once commended for his innovative response to drought, used the home to entertain politicians and business acquaintances.

“His political career was quite colourful, as I understand it,’’ Mr Janetski said.

“There was a bit of creativeness in his dealings – the Australian way of doing things then I suppose, where if you do this, I will do that and that’s the way things happened.

“He used to bring people here to entertain them. But the kitchen was quite small and closed off (to the rest of the house) – you had to go all around the back (to access the kitchen from the rear).’’

Mr Janetski said the home, which has had only three owners in its 100-year history, was in terrible condition when he and his wife purchased it, with the couple ripping out “all the 70s garb’’ and replacing carpets and window furnishings.

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It’s contemporary throughout following the renovation.

There is plenty of living space both inside and out.

The home is on a 2080sqm block.

It even has a semi-covered bar in the backyard.

A more convenient, second doorway was added to the kitchen and the 2087sqm corner allotment was extensively landscaped.

The couple went to great pains to retain character features, including detailed cornices, ceiling roses and timber floors.

A semi-covered bar was added to the rear yard, which complements an undercover outdoor entertainment deck.

The property is being sold by Karyn Prelc, of Ray White Mount Gambier, without a price guide.

Recent home sales in the same street have fetched between $1m and $1.3m.

Ms Prelc expected most buyer interest to come from those who “just love the story’’ of the home.

“Some people don’t want a modern home, they want beauty and charm and history,’’ she said.

“This has got the history of being created for the politician Black Jack back in the day but there’s a little bit of mystery – we know a little bit about him but we don’t know much about the home, other than we think it was built in the 30s.

“Rather than the traditional buyer, this will be (bought by) someone that comes along and just falls in love with it – they will come in and say, ‘I didn’t even realise I needed this house but now I just have to have it’.’’

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