Living the perfect Meriton retirement

There would be very few words, or phases, in any dictionary that multi-billionaire property developer, Harry Triguboff, has not used in his 92 years.

Then there are words and phrases not in his vocabulary at all.  You will never hear the Meriton boss use phrases like ‘It’s impossible’ or ‘It’s not my problem’ or ‘I’ll do that in retirement’.

“Everything is my problem; it is never impossible because I always find a solution; and I have no intention of ever retiring,” My Triguboff says.

“There is nothing wrong with retirement, it’s a natural progression for most people, it’s just not for me.

“Meriton is not work to me. It’s my pleasure, my family, and I could not enjoy my life without it.

“Until I have set foot on one of my sites every morning, I don’t feel like my day has begun,” he says.

At the very heart of high-rise housing in Australia, the apartment master now envelopes segments of the property market he never purposely aimed to attract.

“When I first started building, I was very young, and I didn’t think much about how older people lived in the community,” Mr Triguboff said.

“I do know I wasn’t interested in building retirement accommodation.

“That was over 60 years ago. Now, in 2025, by building a lifestyle of convenience for our residents, we have inadvertently built the very best lifestyle for those embracing retirement.

“Our older community can live in the same developments as their families if they wish and everything they could possibly want or need is at their fingertips.

“They don’t need to go into a retirement village or over 55’s accommodation, where they have to get their heads around leaseholds, convoluted contracts and exit fees.

“They buy as they usually do. They own their apartment and they can live there the rest of their days if they choose, or sell whenever they like. We have no restrictions.

“They come to Meriton and they are as much part of the community as everyone else and they mingle easily with residents of all ages. They want for nothing. Everything is on their doorstep. Supermarkets, retail areas including boutique shops, restaurants, cafes, hairdressers, doctors and dentists.  The majority of our developments are less than 10 minutes from a major hospital.

“Older people are living longer, healthier lives these days. They don’t want to live in a shoebox or spend their days waiting for transport buses to take them to the local shopping centre, half an hour away – where they have to wait for everyone else to finish what they are doing before they can return home.

“At Meriton, they can continue to be invested in living. You can go downstairs, get your shopping done, drop it home and then head off for lunch at any choice of restaurants nearby.

“While I’m a little unusual to still want to be on the tools at 92, I love every minute of it.  I talk to 100 plus people a day, and I challenge myself every minute.  I am a problem solver first and foremost so I see resolutions very clearly.

“Regardless of my age, I still have the smarts and the capacity to do it better than anyone else. Why would I give that up?

“In saying that, I love seeing older people who have chosen to retire enjoying their retirement.

“I accept I’m in the minority, not the majority.

“I love that this older generation comes and lives their lives to the fullest at Meriton, surrounded by friends and family. I love that their retirement is not all about the end game. It’s about how much fun they have while retaining their independence.

“Unlike some other retirement living, we would never want to wrench a pet away from their older owners. I see retirees everywhere walking their dogs. In fact, the biggest business in our Pagewood Green retail centre is the dog groomers.

“I look around the parks and gardens on our sites and I see the grandparents, the parents, the kids and the dogs enjoying a beautiful day out together.

“I then watch as they go to their respective homes surrounding the park.

“I started Meriton to show people that living in suburban cottages on the outskirts of Sydney was not the only way to live. Now, Australians have embraced apartment living as their preferred option.

“And now our apartments are becoming the preferred option in retirement.

“I don’t know if you would find such a large generational living experience anywhere else in Australia.

“What I do know is It brings a whole new meaning to community and living the best possible life, surrounded by your loved ones,” he says.