Leonard Walter Buckeridge (15 June 1936 – 11 March 2014) was an Australian businessman known for founding the Buckeridge Group of Companies.

Early life

Buckeridge attended Perth Modern School then trained as an architect at

Perth Technical College Central Institute of Technology was a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institution based in Perth, Western Australia until 2016 when it became a part of North Metropolitan TAFE. It was the equal oldest post-secondary educational institution ...

. In his final year of studies Buckeridge won the James Hardie Prize for his thesis "The Economical House".

Career

Buckeridge built high-rise buildings in Perth and elsewhere through his company, Buckeridge Group of Companies. He also owned James Point Pty Ltd. In September 2012, Buckeridge sued a former fork-lift driver who allegedly posted defamatory comments on Facebook about him. The former employee was backed by United Voice. In November 2012, he sued the

Government of Western Australia The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...

for 1 billion regarding a delay in construction on

Cockburn Sound Cockburn Sound (Nyungar Aboriginal Australian name: Derbal Nara) is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Western Australia. It extends from the south of the mouth of the Swan River at Fremantle for about 25 km to Point Peron ne ...

. Premier Colin Barnett counselled him to drop the lawsuit. Buckeridge also sued about a delay in the construction of the Perth Arena.

Personal life

Buckeridge married Judith Lyon, and they had five children Lise, Rachel, Andrew, Sam, Joshua. His de facto partner for forty years was Sick Puay Koh, also known as Tootsie Ambrose, mother of Julian. He lived in the Perth suburb of Mosman Park. Prior to his death, in January 2013, his

net worth Net worth is the value of all the non-financial and financial assets owned by an individual or institution minus the value of all its outstanding liabilities. Since financial assets minus outstanding liabilities equal net financial assets, net ...

was estimated as 1.4 billion. He died of a heart attack at his home on 11 March 2014, aged 77 years. In 2016, 22 family members initiated three separate proceedings in the

Supreme Court of Western Australia The Supreme Court of Western Australia is the highest state court in the Australian State of Western Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters (although it usually only hears matters involving sums of A$750,00 ...

to contest his 2.5 billion estate. Under Buckeridge's 2008 will which vested in 2019, his empire was divided among 15 heirs — his six children, eight grandchildren and partner, Tootsie Ambrose.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckeridge, Leonard 1936 births 2014 deaths Australian billionaires Businesspeople from Western Australia People from Perth, Western Australia People educated at Perth Modern School