Glenquarie Shopping Centre turns 50 this month.
Opened on the 29th September 1975 by N.S.W Premier Tom Lewis, the shopping centre is named as a portmanteau of Glenfield and Macquarie Fields. Uniquely, it was developed solely by the council instead of private enterprise. The seventies had seen a period of massive growth in the region and planners were trying to meet the needs of families moving in.
Deputy Town Clerk, Bruce McDonald had the idea to turn idle council owned land into a productive venture. A shopping centre would be able to provide a range of services and community facilities the community needed, hedge against rate increases and generate an income for the ratepayers of Campbelltown with an expected 14% return! He presented the idea in 1970 when the ground on which the centre stands was virgin bushland.
Following the retirement of H.J. Daley in 1973 Bruce became the new Town Clerk and re-invigorated the proposal saying "whilst the scope of the proposal is something new to the council... we are convinced we have the management capacity to successfully undertake the scheme.”
A committee comprising Mayor (Bob Barton), Deputy Mayor (Gordon Fetterplace), Town Clerk (Bruce McDonald), Deputy (Ron Streater) and property officer Ian Henry supervised architectural designs, construction, negotiation with tenants, coordination and promotion. The tender was won by Max Cooper & Sons who took possession of the site in March 1974.
Originally to be completed by the end of the year, wet weather and industrial action pushed back the project.
A major supermarket was not part of the original planning but housing programs in the area had been accelerated so Coles New World and Franklins were added to the already planned convenience stores.
3 1/2 acres of beautification were needed around the centre during its construction. 37,000 metres of turf were rolled out, 450 trees and shrubs were planted by local Grahame Baxter and his employees who sourced all plants from his nursery at Kentlyn. Grahame was also responsible for Landscaping Ingleburn RSL and Bradbury school.
Amongst some of the first tenants were Leo's milk bar, a hardware store, newsagency, toys & hobbies, dry cleaners, T.A.B, Willis’s cakes, doctor and dentists surgeries, Chinese restaurant, a bank, the Housing Commission of N.S.W, “women's boutique” and a branch library in a storefront number 5.
Throughout it's opening week a darts competition was held to win a trip for two to Melbourne! Though we’re not sure who won.
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