Tony Perich, whose family owns one of Australia’s largest dairy operations, fought the airport proposal through the courts.
The reason was the negative impact it would have on farming land under the flightpath
With objectives resolved he came on board with the probably of expanding the company’s interests.
“We’ve come to accept the airport now and I actually think it will be very good for the southwest as long as it is done properly to create the jobs we need and the infrastructure,’’ he said.
Now, following the go-ahead from the federal government, the family could reap a windfall when large tracts of rural land are rezoned for urban development.
Mr Perich, was born locally in 1940 to Croatian parents who established a dairy farm at Leppington in 1953 and purchased 242 hectares ten years later at Bringelly,
Today he heads up the Leppington Pastoral Company which has expanded its agricultural interests and moved into urban development over the years.
Mr Perich was named Urban Taskforce Australia’s Property Person of the Year in 2014
“Tony Perich has prepared the groundwork for development around Badgery’s Creek airport through his extensive developments,” Chris Johnson, Urban Taskforce CEO, said at the time.
“Tony began as a dairy farmer and moved on to the development of Narellan Town Centre followed by Oran Park and Gregory Hills.”
Mr Perich was made a Member of the Order of Australia, in 1999, for services to the community.
