Canberra's Boorer family: why they donated $4 million to their school

Greg Boorer is in the kitchen making a coffee while wife Margaret Hemsley is outside putting the washing on the line. Their four boys, aged from seven to 13, are at school.

Theirs is not a showpiece home. It's a family home. The furniture is basic. Lots of photos are on display. The plastic tablecloth on the long kitchen table a hint that with four boys, the key is to be practical and comfortable, not ostentatious.

There is, essentially, no clue that Greg and Margaret have just donated $4 million to their boys' school, Radford College, through their personal Boorer Foundation. And that's the way they like it. They are down-to-earth and determined to stay that way.

The couple is the definition of self-made after Greg founded and sold the majority of Canberra Data Centres, a company which owns and operates secure data centre facilities. But not without cost or risk. Their house was on the line in the early years of the business and in 2009 he was in ICU for a week with a pulmonary embolism from literally sitting at his desk working for 20 hours a day. Greg, 47, maintains a stake in the company and is its CEO.

Margaret, 49, is a trained physiotherapist and former champion, Commonwealth Games-level cyclist. She was born and raised in Canberra, he in Newcastle where they met. They chased cycling dreams in Europe for eight years and then settled in Canberra to start their family. Greg says his commitment to Canberra is no more clearer than switching allegiances from the Knights to the Raiders.

"We just love the lifestyle ," Margaret said.

The couple say they are motivated by community and giving back to those in need.

Their charitable foundation is set up to operate in perpetuity and their boys will one day manage it.

They are acutely away of navigating their children through the wealth and ensuring they make their own way in life. "We want them to appreciate how lucky they are and not take it for granted," Greg said.

They personally supported cause from Menslink to Canberra PCYC to the domestic violence crisis services to Project Independence for people with intellectual disabilities.

They have become close to the Snow family and take inspiration from the way its foundation continues to help the Canberra community.

Canberra Data Centres also sponsors a range of local sporting groups. After last summer's bushfires, each of its 120 employees received $1500 to $3000 to spend specifically at the South Coast to help boost the economies down there.

And, so, the donation. It's already caused consternation. Why is the family donating so much money to a private school?

The Boorers say the indoor cricket centre was about raising the level of sport at the school and helping to foster some life lessons from sport, including that "hard work equals results". They love the school. With their four boys, they have already been at Radford for 10 years and will be there for another decade. Greg loves cricket and he wanted to raise the culture of cricket at the school.

"When we turned up, all the other teams used to call Radford 'the bye' because they were so hopeless," he said, with a laugh.

"About six years ago, a few of the dads and I stared volunteering and coaching and training the kids and every year, Radford got better and better. Last year, we did so well, we were named, for the first time in 38 years, the junior cricket club of the year and most successful. It was like, 'Okay, where do we go from here?'."

The cricket centre is part of a wider sports precinct planned for the school.

The Boorers' memorandum of understanding with the school included that the centre was a community centre, not only for use by the students, but the wider community.

They agonised about making the donation public. They knocked back an offer to have the centre named after their family.

Greg eventually went with advice from his trusted mentors in the charity world about going public with the donation in the hope other people with means would follow their lead into the philanthropic world.

The couple especially want to help local charities supporting Canberrans in need, the level of disadvantage in the national capital masked by high average incomes that can see those living on the edge forgotten. They will always put a hand up to help.

"There's two sayings I live by," Greg said.

"When I first came to Canberra, I was coaching three-year-old soccer at Bel South and there was a wonderful sign there, 'Before you complain, have you considered volunteering?' And that, I think, is important.

"And one of Margaret's favourite sayings is 'It takes a village to raise a child'. Canberra is a big village and you may as well look after it."