LOCAL LIFE
Jacaranda development is a homage to Celestino
by Greg Martin
According to author and historian, HM Humphreys, the first Maltese immigrant to land in Australia was 32-year-old Antonio Azzopardi( 1805-1881). How and when he arrived here is a moot point, but he did land in Melbourne in cc 1839.
Antonio had served as an officer in the French Navy and later aboard British mercantile vessels. He was certainly an advocate for hard yakka and became quite wealthy across a range of occupations. He and his Scottish-born wife, Margaret, were parents to three sons and two daughters. Antonio certainly made a success of his new life in The Lucky Country and since then a host of other fellow countrymen and women left their Mediterranean island home, migrated to Australia and major contributions to our society.
Celestino Baiada( 1902-1983) was one such man.
From humble beginnings after arriving in Australia in 1916 as a 14-yearold, Celstino –“ Charlie” to his new Australian mates – laid the groundwork for his descendants to create a number of businesses and contribute immensely to our society. The family-owned company, Baida, is one of the country’ s leading poultry producers and in more recent years, has been equally successful in property developments with another company, Celestino Developments Pty Ltd. Named of course in honour of the patriarch! Celestino Developments has received
DA approval from the Hawkesbury City Council for the first two stages of a 300-lot master-planned residential community, named Jacaranda for obvious reasons, at 103 Spinks Road, Glossodia.
The first of the lots were offered for sale on Saturday, September 20, and many of them were snapped up by new owners who were justifiably impressed by the location and Celestino’ s development plans. The journey to turning the huge acreage into a community began with a sod-turning ceremony on Jacaranda on September 10.
Sod turning, by the way, is an ancient religious tradition, symbolising the commencement of a new project.
Doing the spadework with their spades( derr) were Hawkesbury City Mayor, Les Sheather, Celestino CEO, Matthew Scard, and the company’ s Senior Development Manager, Jacqueline Lukina.
The development has been a labour of love for Matthew who has been at the coalface in having the development approved since 2014!
Prior to spearing his spade into the soil, Matthew said residents will experience a unique lifestyle that combines the tranquillity of nature with the comforts and conveniences of contemporary living.
“ In delivering Jacaranda, we’ re proud to play a significant role in addressing the crucial need for future housing supply in the Hawkesbury,” he said.
“ We look forward to working closely with Hawkesbury City Council to help them meet their Hawkesbury Local
Housing Strategy and the future needs of the community.
“ We’ re very conscious that these developments need to be‘ of their place’ and respect the existing look and feel of the area.“ So, we’ ll be ensuring the new homes maintain and preserve the character of this special region.
“ The unique size of the first lots on offer – quarter and half acre in size- will blend seamlessly with nature, thanks to 160 acres of surrounding green spaces.”
This includes a seven-acre lake within a lake park which will be complete with wetlands, playgrounds, multi-use courts, multiple outdoor gym equipment zones, a kiosk, BBQ facilities and shelters and ball game areas- all linked by a continuous walking path.
Dog owners will be particularly impressed by a securely fenced dog park offering off-leash play area for their canine friends.
A walking path will link residents to the existing Currency Creek riparian corridor to link with a Central Village Green, two adjacent Village Green areas with a central play and exercise areas, and picnic shelters with seating.
There will also be large, open-space
Sod busters! Digging in to turn the first sods on the new Jacaranda housing development in Glossodia are Hawkesbury City Mayor, Les Sheather, Celestino CEO, Matthew Scard, and the company’ s Senior Development Manager, Jacqueline Lukins.
turfed areas which will be used as informal sports fields for cricket, football or simply running around.
The masterplan includes two large, designated nature conservation areas, each accessible by pathways.
Each lot will have access to a pressure sewer, recycled and potable water, electricity and the NBN.
“ Prosit Celestino Baiada! That young Maltese boy has done his heritage and new country proud in so many ways.
Interested parties are encouraged to register their interest by calling 1800 444 060, visiting jacarandaglossodia. com. au or the new Jacaranda Sales & Information Centre now open at Shop 5 / 160-162 Golden Valley Drive, Glossodia, open Thu-Mon 10am-5pm.
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8 ISSUE 124 // OCTOBER 2025 theindependentmagazine. com. au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT