In 2019 Halcyon celebrates 15 years since our first homeowner arrived at Halcyon Parks in Caloundra.
For both of us it seems just like yesterday that Peg Liesegang moved into her new Halcyon home - the first of hundreds to follow across our seven communities. When we established Halcyon we wanted to break the mould of a traditional retirement village and introduce a lifestyle that met the changing needs and higher expectations of modern seniors.
Fifteen years after setting out on this journey, we continue to be passionate about what we do and remain focussed on the future and the many opportunities it holds.
Having started in 2004 with just five staff, we now have a workforce of more than 100 people and we have our own construction company to build and maintain our communities. We’re proud to have built a reputation for quality, value, customer service and the ground-breaking innovation that saw us champion many firsts in the over 50s lifestyle sector.
Halcyon was the first to deliver superior energy-rated homes in Australia; the first to use the energy-efficient and environment-sensitive Hebel panelling; and the first to achieve a UDIA six-leaf EnviroDevelopment Certification for an Australian retirement project.
Currently, we are developing Australia’s first golf and residential lifestyle community, Halcyon Greens, overlooking the lush fairways of Gainsborough Greens Golf Course on the Gold Coast.
We are looking forward to staying at the forefront of the industry for the next 15 years.
Our growth and direction will continue to be guided by the changing needs and expectations of our homeowners.
In the early years, most of Halcyon’s homeowners had lived through The Great Depression and World War II – the so-called Silent Generation, often characterised as hard-working traditionalists who value security and safety.
Gradually, the more aspirational Baby Boomers have emerged, and today they are the majority of our homeowners. Their attitude toward, and experience of, retirement is very different to their parents. They have many more years to enjoy due to longer life expectancy, and they also have higher expectations of what this time will look and feel like.
They are healthy, active, travelling and taking active roles in their community. Many are still working.
They care for their parents and their grandchildren and help their own kids to juggle responsibilities and to navigate life. Baby Boomers want to live life to the full and they want a home and community that provides fun, friendship, freedom and surety of investment.
Halcyon needs to keep pace with these evolving needs for the next 15years. So, with each new community, we strive to do something new, to take the untrodden path in creating homes and lifestyles tailored to the modern retiree. This is the backbone of Halcyon’s growth and success which has seen us become one of Australia’s most awarded developers of lifestyle communities.
Most important to us are the 2,000-plus homeowners who now live in a Halcyon community from Halcyon Waters at Hope Island on the Gold Coast to Halcyon Lakeside at Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast. Thanks to you we have been able to change the face of over 50s living with a lifestyle that delivers fun, fitness, friendship and financial security to the modern retiree.
We are so grateful for your loyalty and support because Halcyon wouldn’t be what it is today without you. With so much more to come, we intend to continue as we started: leading and innovating to deliver outstanding lifestyle communities that ensure the next chapter of your Life Begins at Halcyon. We look forward to the next 15 years with excitement
All the best,
Dr Bevan Geissmann and Paul Melville
Joint Managing Directors
