Roy Thompson, a Sunshine Coast businessman whose wealth came from pubs, property and development, has died just eight days after his wife, Nola Thompson.
Roy died on August 7, following Nola’s death from Stage 4 ovarian cancer.
The couple had been married for 69 years and raised eight children together.
Over the course of their lives, they became known not only for their business success but also for giving away tens of millions of dollars to causes across Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Their son, Peter Thompson, said his father’s final days were marked by the loss of his wife.
“His prognosis was a broken heart,” Peter told Sunshine Coast News.
Wealth without the trappings of wealth
Despite their considerable fortune, Roy and Nola were not known for living extravagantly.
No verified public estimate of their net worth has emerged, although the couple were widely regarded as multimillionaires.
For Roy, accumulating wealth was never the final objective.
He repeatedly argued that people who had earned substantial fortunes should consider returning some of that money to the communities that helped create their success.
“I’ve made a lot of money here and why not give it back?” he told The Catholic Leader in 2021.
His philosophy was straightforward: wealth had little value if it could not be used to improve the lives of others.
Millions invested in education and mental health
One of the most significant beneficiaries of the Thompsons’ generosity was the University of the Sunshine Coast.
By 2018, the couple had donated about $15 million to the university.
Their contributions included $7 million for a facility housing the Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience—Thompson Institute, which focuses on mental health research.
Their support also helped establish scholarships and bursaries designed to benefit students for decades, with funding arrangements extending through 2075.
The university’s research facilities also include the Nola Thompson Centre for Advanced Imaging, ensuring that Roy’s wife remains part of the institution’s philanthropic legacy.
A lasting impact on the Sunshine Coast
The Thompsons’ charitable work stretched far beyond higher education.
In 1979, Roy helped launch the Sunshine Coast Rescue Helicopter Service, an initiative that would become an important part of emergency services in the region.
The couple later contributed $2 million to the Wishlist Centre, which provides affordable accommodation for patients and their families near Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
In April 2021, they also entrusted more than $5 million to the Buderim Foundation to establish the Thompson Charitable Fund, creating another long-term source of support for community causes.
Their contribution to the region was eventually recognized through Roy’s appointment to the Order of Australia.
Philanthropists who avoided the spotlight
Recognition followed the Thompsons even though they rarely sought public attention.
In 2017, the couple were named Queensland Higher Education Philanthropists of the Year.
Yet they remained largely absent from the social circuit that often surrounds major donors.
Nola once summed up their approach by saying they were “not social people.”
Their low-profile lifestyle stood in sharp contrast to the scale of their giving.
Wishlist chief executive Brendan Hogan said the couple had played a profound role in reshaping philanthropy on the Sunshine Coast.
“Roy and Nola in very real, humble ways, helped to change the face of philanthropy on the Sunshine Coast,” Hogan told Sunshine Coast News.
From modest beginnings to a business empire
Roy’s story began far removed from the wealth he would eventually accumulate.
He grew up in a single-income family, with his father employed at the local gasworks.
Later, Roy and Nola raised their own eight children while living on what was described as a modest builder’s wage.
Australian political figures later pointed to the Thompsons’ story as an example of how determination and entrepreneurship could transform a family’s circumstances.
Roy eventually moved into real estate and property development, where he built a reputation for creating and transforming prominent Sunshine Coast properties.
The pubs that built his fortune
Among Roy’s most notable business ventures was Chifley’s Hotel, a major Sunshine Coast entertainment landmark during the 1980s.
He built the hotel in 1972 and sold it six years later to the Stewarts Hotel Group.
He subsequently acquired the Mooloolaba Hotel and became involved in other developments throughout the region.
Those ventures helped establish the fortune that later became the financial foundation for the couple’s philanthropy.
Rather than using their wealth primarily to expand their personal lifestyle, however, the Thompsons increasingly directed it toward causes close to home.
A philosophy of giving back
Roy was outspoken about his belief that wealthy Australians should give more of their money away.
“There are a lot of people that have a lot more money than they need and I think it’s up to them to start giving,” he said.
For Roy, philanthropy was closely tied to gratitude for the community where he had built his business career.
His son Peter said that connection was reflected in where the couple chose to direct their money.
“Ninety percent of all his donations were distributed on the Sunshine Coast,” Peter told Sunshine Coast News.
A legacy measured beyond money
Roy and Nola Thompson leave behind eight children, decades of marriage and a philanthropic record that spans healthcare, education, mental health, emergency services and community support.
Their story was not simply one of building a fortune.
It was also about deciding what that fortune should accomplish after it had been made.
The couple’s donations have helped establish institutions, fund research, support students, assist families facing medical treatment and strengthen community organizations across the Sunshine Coast.
With their deaths coming only eight days apart, the Thompsons’ long partnership has ended, but the institutions and charitable programs they supported are expected to continue carrying their names—and their philosophy of giving—well into the future.
