Imagine being the first person to move in to a new suburb. Sure, it wouldn’t be the first time in history that somebody moved somewhere new, but it would feel a bit special, wouldn’t it?
Michael and Sue are the proud first residents of Catherine Park Estate, a master planned development situated between Harrington Grove and Oran Park.
Since moving in at the very start of 2017, the newest residents of O’Keefe Street have proven popular with those looking at Catherine Park. Being the first completed home in the street means it is also the most popular amongst those considering what to put on their block.
“People are always coming up and knocking on our door, or taking photos of our house. They ask ‘who designed it?’, ‘can we have a look around?’” laughed the two. “We always say yes, we have shown them the plans, we’re happy to share them.”
But, it wasn’t always Michael and Sue’s plan to uproot and build a new home.
“When we decided to downsize, we were thinking a house in an established suburb close to Harrington Grove would suit us best,” said Sue. “But Catherine Park released land at the time we were looking and once we looked here we didn’t look any further.”
The decision to make the move to the area came in part because of their children and grandchildren. Sue and Michael’s kids have left home and are married now with kids of their own, so one of the priorities for the Sue and Michael was to be close to them as Sue often looks after her 4-year-old and 1 year old grandchildren.
“Not only to be close to them, but there is so much here to do with them. We have the river across the road, surrounded by bushland. Ducks walking past every afternoon and a we have a large block with plenty of room to play. Its everything we wanted for our new home and for our grandchildren to enjoy.”
For 25 years, Michael and Sue were residents of Edensor Park, but were looking to downsize and be close to their children and grandchildren who live close by in Harrington Grove.
“We built a brand-new house, not really downsizing, but certainly built in the features we wanted,” said Michael.
“The grandchildren were a large part of the reason we chose Catherine Park,” said Sue.
As Catherine Park is developed and new residents join Michael and Sue, we asked what they were looking forward to most.
“Good neighbours – we have met a lot of them already and are looking forward to a community getting together,” concluded Sue.