From her unconventional start in 1977, greeted by a dead shark on her first day, to becoming one of the state’s most respected agents, educators, and industry reformers, Robin’s career trajectory reads like a masterclass in resilience, innovation, and unwavering commitment to professional excellence.
In her mid-20s, Robin made what many considered a radical decision: leaving a successful career as a researcher, producer, and presenter at the Nine Network to enter real estate.
Known to television audiences through national programs and commercials that made her a household name in the 1970s, she was already accustomed to high-pressure environments and demanding personalities.
However, the appeal of real estate was simple yet profound, the opportunity to build something truly her own, where creative effort would be rewarded without limitations.
“Perhaps real estate was always in my blood,” Robin reflects.
As the daughter of Jock McIlwain, the civil engineer and developer known as ‘the father of the Gold Coast Waterways’, she grew up colouring subdivision plans while other children played with dolls, and spent weekends helping survey land and hammering up signboards.
Robin with her husband Russ Cornish, they have been working together in real estate since 1980.
“I started my career with Ray White in 1977 and I will end it with Ray White in December 2025. Russ and I have had the most amazing three years with the Collective and could not have had a better conclusion to our careers,” Robin said.
Robin’s entry into the profession was far from glamorous.
Starting with John Churven at the newly opened Ray White Sherwood in 1977, she worked commission-only, covering her own expenses while navigating the challenging suburbs of Inala and Oxley where the average house price was $10,000 and aggressive dogs were an occupational hazard.
Always the first one to work, she arrived to find that someone had left a long dead shark at the front door.Â
“The locals were letting us know what they thought of real estate agents! My designated suburbs were Inala and Oxley. The average price of a house was $10,000 and it seemed like every household had at least 2 or 3 dogs, ready to attack the instant I walked through a gate. I learnt to be agile, look for safe spots to run to, and suffered a few good nips in the process,” she said.
Later her appointment as sales manager for LJ Hooker Toowong’s home unit division in 1980 positioned her perfectly for what came next, though not before weathering the devastating 1981 market crash when monthly sales plummeted from 34 to just one transaction as interest rates soared to 18 per cent.
Robin says her greatest professional triumph came through her ability to read market signals others missed. In 1986, her research identified a looming shortage of new apartment construction just as buyer enquiries were increasing.
Rather than waiting for the market to respond, she convinced Sydney developers to build in Brisbane when local builders remained wary after the 1982 downturn.
As head of L J Hooker Project Marketing, Robin didn’t just sell apartments, she revolutionised their design.
Working with architectural firms, she introduced open-plan living and well-separated ensuite bedrooms, moving Brisbane apartments away from conservative southern models.
When the boom arrived in late 1987, her team controlled 80 per cent of major inner-city complexes.
Today, her legacy lives in the buildings she not only marketed but helped design and name: Henley in St Lucia, Admiralty Towers and Quays, Park Avenue, the original Teneriffe Wool stores, Silver Quays, and many others.
After the birth of her son James in 1991, Robin made an intentional shift to balance motherhood with her demanding career.
This transition led to what she describes as “one of the most rewarding periods” of her professional life.
Recruited by the Real Estate Institute of Queensland, she established training programs for new agents and worked with Rose Kelly to develop the National Training Package for real estate licensing.
She authored the Good Business Guide for Real Estate Practice and served as the REIQ’s representative in consultations that introduced cooling-off periods and reformed two-tier marketing practices.
Her most controversial and impactful innovation was introducing Recognition of Prior Learning for agent licensing.
Working with trainer Denise Hart, she established Australia’s first independent Registered Training Organisation delivering national licensing courses.
This evidence-based assessment approach, initially met with scepticism, is now standard practice across all Australian states and territories.
A student’s pointed remark, “If you can do, you do. If you can’t, then you teach” prompted her return to sales in 2008.
After selling her training business, she joined Remax Toowong, quickly rising to top performer status despite having to “start back at the basics.”
She took over Belle Property Toowong in 2013, running a successful operation until its 2022 merger with Ray White Toowong.
Throughout, she maintained her sales team, including Richard Crist, her colleague since the late 1980s, and her husband, fellow real estate veteran Russ Cornish.
Rising to Elite status within Ray White, Robin has remained committed to mentoring younger agents, embodying her philosophy: “This is one of the few careers where you can set your own goals and shape a working environment to suit your lifestyle. There is only one person who controls your success and contentment in this life – it is you,” she said.
Ray White Toowong Director and Selling Principal Reuben Packer-Hill, who began his own career as a receptionist when Robin was a senior agent, reflects on the significance of this moment.
“It is a beautiful full-circle moment to announce the retirement of Robin McIlwain. When I first began my career as a receptionist, Robin was a senior agent whose professionalism and presence shaped the standard I aspired to. Now, as Principal, it brings me immense pride and privilege to help facilitate her transition into this next chapter.”
“Robin’s contribution to our industry, our clients, and our culture has been profound, and her legacy will continue to influence the way we serve our community. We celebrate her remarkable career and wish her every joy in the journey ahead.”
As she steps away from active practice, Robin leaves behind not just a record of sales success, but a transformed industry better equipped to serve both agents and clients through the standards, practices, and educational frameworks she helped create.
