It’s not often VIPs are upstaged at official functions, but that’s exactly what happened yesterday morning in the heart of Campbelltown.
To celebrate a significant construction milestone of its new development, Siquilla Retirement Residences, the Campbelltown Catholic Club put on a “turning of the soil” ceremony on site.
Apart from the brilliant morning weather, the thing that stood out on arrival was that there were two groups of people in attendance.
Up the front of a makeshift marquee were sitted the VIPs wearing bright yellow, high visibility vests and white hard hats.
However, the biggest cohort, sitted at the rear of the marquee, were people wearing orange high visibility vests and hard hats.
Curiosity aroused, naturally, the first question this reporter had for the organisers was: who’s the mob in the orange vests?
The answer was simple: people who have purchased an apartment in the yet to be built complex located right in front of the club.
And while they had to sit quietly up the back during a smoking ceremony and a welcome to country, and one or two speeches by the VIPs, their moment in the sun wasn’t that far away.
Once the VIPs did their thing with the shiny shovels, and the photographers nodded they had taken all the pictures they needed, it was the turn of the people to take centre stage.
Each one of them grabbed a shovel and started digging into a pile of soil in front of the marquee as the photographers merrily snapped away again.
Officially 50 apartments out of the 90 odd that will be built in Siquilla Retirement Residences by early 2028 have been sold.
Nobody did a count but I’d say a large majority of the people who have put down a deposit attended yesterday morning’s ceremony.
Once complete, the complex will have as bookends two of Campbelltown’s most historic buildings: Quondong in the south and Emily Cottage in the north.
Indeed, and as Campbelltown Catholic Club chairman David McDonald emphasised during his short speech, the apartments will be located in arguably the most beautiful precinct in town.
Across the road, Old Menangle Road, is the magnificent Koshigaya Park, while to the east of Siquilla sits Campbelltown Arts Centre, and which is about to get a huge, $85 million expansion and makeover.
Guests, and future residents, were welcomed to the ceremony by the long time club CEO Michael Lavorato.
He also introduced the other two speakers, Mayor of Campbelltown Darcy Lound, and Member for Macquarie Fields and Minns Government minister Anoulack Chanthivong.
Both expressed their enthusiasm for the project as part of the changing face of Campbelltown.
They were almost as enthusiastic as the future residents who turned up for the event and looked like they can’t wait to move into their new homes the minute they’re ready.
