Former Home and Away star sells $15 million Bronte home

A stunning Hamptons-style beach house in Bronte sold for $15 million last week, as a former child star sold to a wealthy benefactor.

Vendors Ryan Clark, a former Home and Away and Bondi Rescue star, and his wife, Gina, sold the home to philanthropist Kim Medich, local sources have exclusively revealed to this masthead.

Clark debuted on Home and Away, aged seven, as foster kid Sam Marshall, and went on to star on the Channel Seven show for nine years. He later appeared as a lifeguard on Channel Ten’s Bondi Rescue, and has since relocated to Currumbin on the Gold Coast with his family.

It’s understood Kim, who is on the board of The Medich Foundation and is the daughter of Rich Lister Roy Medich, will live in the six-bedroom, four-bathroom home with her daughters.

A sold sticker went up on the listing, indicating a sale by private treaty, on June 3. The Clarks bought the existing bungalow on the site for $5 million in 2016, records show, and enlisted architect Andrew Chapman for a Hamptons-style rebuild.

The three-level residence offers sweeping views across Bronte Gully to the ocean. There is a sleek white kitchen with sculptural polished concrete island, timber floors and skylights.

Leisure zones include a timber pavilion, pool, spa and skate ramp.

The $15 million sale matches the amount paid for the former Bronte home of Australian Test cricket captain Pat Cummins and his wife, Becky. Settlement documents in April confirmed the off-market deal of $15 million, and revealed Tracy Pillemer, wife of PPS Mutual chief executive Michael Pillemer, as the buyer.

Kim’s father, Roy, has an estimated wealth of $1.07 billion, according to The Australian Financial Review’s 2026 Rich List. The Medich Foundation, established in 2012 by Roy and his son, Anthony Medich, is a family affair, with Kim also on the board. The foundation is a visionary donor of St Vincent’s Hospital, and supports other charities including Barnardos Australia, The Smith Family and Chris O’Brien Lifehouse.

Kim was also VIP director of Woollahra’s Hotel Centennial when it was owned by the Medich family. The Medichs sold the hotel to Merivale’s Justin Hemmes for a reported $13 million in 2017, as previously reported by this masthead.

The Clarks’ Bronte home was sold by Jason Boon of Richardson & Wrench Elizabeth Bay and Potts Point, in conjunction with James Ball of Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty.

Gelato king serves up millions

Simon Ravindran, who is behind Gelato Messina’s global expansion, and his wife, Rhiana, have emerged as the buyers of former Foxtel boss Richard Freudenstein’s Mosman home.

Richard was chief executive at Foxtel from 2011 to 2016 and is now a non-executive director of Coles, Cochlear Limited, REA Group and Cricket Australia.

Settlement documents last month show the Ravindrans paid $17.15 million to Freudenstein and his wife, Jane, a director of the Australian Ballet and board member of Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, for the five-bedroom, five-bathroom residence with pool.

The Freudensteins purchased the house for $10.25 million in 2018, records show, from marketing industry boss Damien Stenmark and his wife, Susie, a former model, parents to celebrity models Jordan and Zac.

Interiors feature imported pendant lights, patterned wallpaper, marble-framed fireplaces and French doors, while entertainment zones include limestone terraces, a mosaic-tiled pool, poolside kitchenette and wine cellar.

Simon is a shareholder of Gelato Messina Holdings and heads the company’s international business development. There are now stores in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Geoff Smith and Geoff Allan of Ray White Lower North Shore Group were unavailable for comment about the sale when contacted.

What’s cheap for Sydney then …

A home designed by late architect Nino Sydney, who was dubbed the “hero of Australian suburbia” for making housing style and design affordable to everyday people in the 1950s and ’60s, is for sale with a price guide of $11 million, as stated on the listing.

Nino designed homes that were simple and practical for any budget at the time, and was the long-time chief architect of developer Lendlease.

The five-bedroom, three-bathroom residence for sale was bought by Ian Brittain, a nuclear medicine physician, and his wife, Corinne, for $2.03 million in 1997, records show. It’s a mid-century modern design with clean lines, a rectangular design and an open layout.

Terrazzo floors, expansive glass, timber joinery and mosaic-tiled bathrooms fill the interiors.

There are wraparound balconies, a pool with slide, and views across Lane Cove River to Sydney Harbour, the Harbour Bridge and the city skyline.

The property is being sold by Nicholas McEvoy and Alessandro Bandiera of BresicWhitney Hunters Hill.