Community
27 July, 2026
Vale, the 'queen' of real estate
THE ‘queen of Cairns real estate’ – Yvonne Marie Rowlands – has been remembered as a glamorous, but ethical and ‘old school’ businesswoman.
Ms Rowlands died earlier this month aged 87 and was farewelled at her funeral service on 14 July.
The mother, grandmother and great-grandmother was the principal of Cairns Key Real Estate.
Ms Rowlands first came to Cairns in the 1970s to manage the local branch of George Pickers, a company well known for supplying the maritime industry with shipping goods.
In about 1980, she started her career in real estate, joining The Professionals in Sheridan Street.
In 1984, she took a break from real estate and bought the kiosk at Calvary Hospital, which she successfully operated for around two and a half years.
In 1987, she returned to real estate and worked with Les Freeman Real Estate and in 1995 joined Century21.
In 2002, Ms Rowlands established Cairns Key Real Estate where she oversaw the sale and rental of thousands of homes to Cairns families over the following 24 years.
Retired real estate agent Les Freeman said Ms Rowlands was "a very complete saleswoman, very likeable and she was a joy to work with”.
Tony Williamson of Remax Powerhouse said Ms Rowlands was “tenacious with her follow-up with buyers and her knowledge of the stock for sale was better than the internet, even before we had the internet”.
Gerard Obersky of One Stop Real Estate said “Yvonne was always honourable and ethical, always a pleasure to deal with and one of life’s rare old-school characters”.
One of the longest-serving members of Cairns Key Real Estate, Junelle McNaught, said Ms Rowland could “sell ice to an Eskimo”.
Another employee Pauline Humphries said “working for Yvonne, you were not just a number, you became part of the family”.
Granddaughter Jessica (surname withheld) said Mame, as she was known by her family, was summed up in one word: “glitter”.
“She was vibrant, vivacious, elegant and determined. She was incredibly hardworking, fiercely loyal and generous beyond measure," she said.
