Profile marking the generational handover at Intrapac, where I had just become chief operating officer. It covered the move beyond land subdivision into townhouses and apartments, the revised $2 billion Noonamah Ridge plan in Darwin cut to about 4,200 dwellings, and housing older Australians outside conventional retirement villages.
As I told The Australian: “David says he would have hired me on my merits, which is probably true. I come from a family that is also in the industry, so I have that background,”
I also said: “Some people have looked at me oddly when I tell them I work for my father-in-law. I'm extremely fortunate. David is a very intelligent and measured man and I get along with him immensely well,”
And I added: “Locals told us they want Noonamah Ridge to remain rural, so we have updated our plans to reflect this feedback by reducing the size and layout of the villages. We also have provisions for a childcare centre, medical facilities, retirement living and schools to ensure that Noonamah is self-sustaining,”
I went on to say: “I've added a lot of youthful exuberance to the business, in terms of being a bit more ambitious in our goals and the sorts of things we are trying to do,”
I also made the point: “We haven't actually built a lot of buildings but now we are incorporating the built form, whether it is townhouses or apartments. It's becoming an increasing component of our thinking already and will certainly continue to be this way in the future. That is the future of development in Australia. As land supply is reduced we will have a much greater responsibility to use the existing areas to a greater extent.”
I went on: “Those are the areas where you get to use existing infrastructure and help the local economies by bringing more people to them.”
And I said: “Only a very small proportion of retirees want to live in a retirement village. It is about combining the amenity with your building design and having the services nearby to accommodate them. You can have an integrated community where an older person can move next door to a younger family; you don't have to have a cohort of older people living together. It's about setting the facilities and the connectivity to make their lives easier.”
And finally: “I don't see David retiring for a long time. He loves the industry too much and he is very actively involved.”
The Australian, 20 August 2015 — Read the full article