Vale Jim Masterton. It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Jim Masterton, founder of Masterton Homes, 16 November 2022.
Jim was just shy of his 93rd birthday, and passed peacefully at home, surrounded by his loved ones.
60 years ago, Jim founded the Masterton building company (in 1962) and worked tirelessly to create a building empire that has delivered 60,000 homes to Australian families across NSW, from Tea Gardens in the north to Bermagui in the south.
Jim was an innovator at heart, and a true pioneer of the Australian building industry. He invented the rib-raft slab for residential housing with special side brackets to allow dropped edge beams (a system still used today) and was the first to prefabricate house frames and deliver to site.
One of his biggest achievements was to open the Warwick Farm “Field of Dreams” Display Village in 1983, displaying a raft of Masterton homes designed for the modern family. The display centre is still one of the most visited display home villages in NSW.
Jim was understandably proud of his achievements. “When I started out, I just wanted to make it possible for ordinary people to build their own home and so we had to invent ways to make it affordable and easy,” he said. “I’m a family man and have a firm understanding of how important the dream of owning a home can be. I’m really proud of the way Masterton has weathered the highs and lows in the building industry through responsible and experienced management and the fact it’s still a solid, family owned and run Australian business.”
In 2005, Jim received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, recognising his significant contribution to the housing industry and the impact he has had on so many lives. He was also presented with a Life Member Status by the Housing Industry of Australia (HIA).
Jim quickly became the most awarded builder in Australia, something he was immensely proud of, and this great achievement has been continued by the current Masterton design team over the past 10 years.
‘I’m Jim Masterton and I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
As we say ‘Vale Jim Masterton’, we are reminded of the iconic ad slogan that summed up the man’s life-long values of quality home building and the importance of family. It helped to establish him as a legend in Australian housing industry.
He was a true icon who provided incomes and business opportunities for thousands of people, who all hold him in the highest regard.
Today The Masterton Group employs hundreds of full-time staff and contractors. Jim formally retired from the business around 10 years ago, but his legacy survives with his family and the Masterton, New Living Homes & New Edge Homes businesses that have changed the lives of so many Australians, giving them the chance to live their dreams in their own homes.
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