Defence Housing Australia (DHA) will today host a community barbecue and information day for its newly named Fetherston Ridge development at Weston, ACT.
The residential development, which will provide 120 homes including 50 for Defence members and their families, is named in honour of Tony Fetherston – the founder of the adjoining Fetherston Gardens.
“Fetherston Gardens is a hidden gem in Canberra,” DHA Managing Director Peter Howman said. “They were designed and developed as part of the former CIT Horticultural College, which was led at the time by Tony Fetherston.”
“In planning Fetherston Ridge we wanted to recognise this beautiful garden and its founder,” Mr Howman said. “Tony Fetherston’s contribution to the Canberra community as an educator and a pioneer of horticulture was invaluable. He helped create a ‘secret garden’ for Canberra, and we want to showcase that garden through our development.”
DHA plans to provide an integrated visual and physical connection between the Gardens and the new homes by way of wetlands, a boardwalk, cycle and pedestrian pathways. Existing trees on the eastern boundary are to be retained where possible, with additional planting also planned for the area.
“DHA doesn’t just build houses, we build communities,” Mr Howman said. “We want this development to complement and blend with the existing landscape, to support the hard work that the community has put in to recreate the Gardens, and to provide our Defence members and the community as a whole with a truly unique patch of paradise in their own backyards.”
DHA’s primary function is to supply housing and related services to Defence members and their families in line with Defence operational requirements. DHA currently manages more than 19,000 properties across Australia worth about $10 billion.