The woman behind the name of Gebhardts Real Estate --

Helen Gebhardt was a woman ahead of her time - she was defiant and stubborn, extremely independent and intelligent, renowned for her honesty and a true character. She was even the first woman to drive a car by herself from Adelaide to Sydney.

When she set her mind to something, she did it. So in 1955, when, at the age of 50, she launched her real estate business in Mount Gambier, there were those that knew she meant business. However, as the lone female in the industry, she also had her fair share of knockers - “Miss Gebhardt you won’t last six months” was a common adage.

She started business in a tiny room at the foot of the stairs of the Jens annexe with a second hand typewriter and a desk purchased in Adelaide. One year later as the business grew she moved to 18 Watson Terrace.


The extent of Miss Gebhardt’s generosity to local charities is not widely known, and she often took the cause to help many families from the European community who had moved to the area to enable them to purchase a home.

Miss Gebhardt was dedicated to her business and still worked at the agency right up until she was 85 when ill health forced her to retire from the business.