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Randwick the new Monopoly slum (from smh.com.au)
Elicia Murray
October 20, 2006 - 1:28PM
Residents of Randwick have a new and potentially unwelcome claim to fame: they are the slum-dwellers in a new NSW edition of the board game Monopoly.
The first brown property past Go, occupied by Old Kent Road on the London edition, comes dirt cheap on the new board at just $60.
Real estate agent Theo Karangis, the principal at NG Farah Randwick, laughed when he heard about the eastern Sydney suburb's new status.
"That's shattering considering we just opened up a new office in Randwick," he said.
Mr Karangis denied he was a slum lord.
"A slum? Randwick? I don't think so ... Can you get ocean views from slum areas?"
Sales of the limited edition board are expected to raise about $200,000 for children's cancer research.
The NSW Monopoly was unveiled at the Opera House today, in the same week that an unauthorised race hate version of the game sparked public outrage for glorifying last year's Sydney race riots.
Dubbed Cronulla Monopoly, the object of the online game was to buy property in the Sutherland Shire in order to donate money to right-wing groups to "win back Australia".
The authorised new board contains landmarks from Sydney and other parts of NSW, leading to an eclectic - if not geographically accurate - mix of properties.
Bondi Beach, for example, is a yellow property, next to Luna Park and the south coast town of Bega.
The 1992 Australian Monopoly champion, Geoff Masters, was not sold on the new format.
Told the light blue properties were Botany Bay, Market Street and the central-western NSW city of Dubbo, the avid player responded: "And Dubbo?"
"That's interesting," Mr Masters said.
"That's a long street."
The former champion, who is a Sydneysider, said the game was traditionally based on the significance of streets in a particular area.
"And I don't remember Botany Bay being particularly close to Dubbo."
He suggested a land tax square and a baby bonus card in the Chance pile would have been more accurate inclusions.
Only 8000 of the NSW boards have been made.
Toy manufacturer Hasbro granted a licensing agreement to the McGuinness McDermott Foundation, with money raised to go to the Children's Cancer Institute Australia.
The McGuinness McDermott Foundation business development executive Simon Wilkins said the idea was to capture all of NSW.
More unconventional inclusions were selected by corporate sponsors, whose logos appear on the squares - such as cheese manufacturer Bega, which paid for its south coast town namesake.
"The landmarks included depended on what companies came on board," Mr Wilkins said.
The boards will be sold at SuperCheap Auto from today.
Elicia Murray
October 20, 2006 - 1:28PM
Residents of Randwick have a new and potentially unwelcome claim to fame: they are the slum-dwellers in a new NSW edition of the board game Monopoly.
The first brown property past Go, occupied by Old Kent Road on the London edition, comes dirt cheap on the new board at just $60.
Real estate agent Theo Karangis, the principal at NG Farah Randwick, laughed when he heard about the eastern Sydney suburb's new status.
"That's shattering considering we just opened up a new office in Randwick," he said.
Mr Karangis denied he was a slum lord.
"A slum? Randwick? I don't think so ... Can you get ocean views from slum areas?"
Sales of the limited edition board are expected to raise about $200,000 for children's cancer research.
The NSW Monopoly was unveiled at the Opera House today, in the same week that an unauthorised race hate version of the game sparked public outrage for glorifying last year's Sydney race riots.
Dubbed Cronulla Monopoly, the object of the online game was to buy property in the Sutherland Shire in order to donate money to right-wing groups to "win back Australia".
The authorised new board contains landmarks from Sydney and other parts of NSW, leading to an eclectic - if not geographically accurate - mix of properties.
Bondi Beach, for example, is a yellow property, next to Luna Park and the south coast town of Bega.
The 1992 Australian Monopoly champion, Geoff Masters, was not sold on the new format.
Told the light blue properties were Botany Bay, Market Street and the central-western NSW city of Dubbo, the avid player responded: "And Dubbo?"
"That's interesting," Mr Masters said.
"That's a long street."
The former champion, who is a Sydneysider, said the game was traditionally based on the significance of streets in a particular area.
"And I don't remember Botany Bay being particularly close to Dubbo."
He suggested a land tax square and a baby bonus card in the Chance pile would have been more accurate inclusions.
Only 8000 of the NSW boards have been made.
Toy manufacturer Hasbro granted a licensing agreement to the McGuinness McDermott Foundation, with money raised to go to the Children's Cancer Institute Australia.
The McGuinness McDermott Foundation business development executive Simon Wilkins said the idea was to capture all of NSW.
More unconventional inclusions were selected by corporate sponsors, whose logos appear on the squares - such as cheese manufacturer Bega, which paid for its south coast town namesake.
"The landmarks included depended on what companies came on board," Mr Wilkins said.
The boards will be sold at SuperCheap Auto from today.
