One of Australia’s greatest entrepreneurs, Harry Triguboff, has revealed an insightful look into his remarkable story with the release of his only authorised biography, High-Rise Harry.
The book, published by New Holland Publishers, details the life of Harry Triguboff AO, the entrepreneur, billionaire and philanthropist, who founded Meriton Group more than 60 years ago.
In a story of extraordinary resilience, readers will delve into the psyche of Harry Triguboff, who, at 91 years old, has overcome many obstacles throughout his life, building a phenomenally successful empire that led him to become one of Australia’s wealthiest people.
Throughout the book, Triguboff shares:
What it takes to be a good entrepreneur and succeed in business
Immigrating to Australia and the painful decades of separation from his parents that would follow
Juggling his empire as a single dad
Floating his company to then buy it back, and
The journey to becoming undeniably the biggest name in real estate and residential development in the country.
From humble beginnings in Tianjin, China, and born to proud Russian Jewish parents, Harry was named Karik Oskar Triguboff.
Like many others, he went on to Anglicise his name to Harry Oskar Triguboff. But it was his nickname ‘High-Rise Harry’ that would come to define him later in his life.
High-Rise Harry established Meriton at the age of 30 when he built his first block of 18 apartments on Meriton Street in Gladesville.
Now at 91 years of age and still at its helm, he’s overseen the development of nearly 80,000 residential dwellings.
Since the beginning, it was Triguboff ’s unwavering self-belief that he could make apartment living the preferred housing option for the future, and that he did.
What people called Triguboff ’s ‘pipedream’ was a stunning reality of community living and a picture Triguboff could see in his head.
In High-Rise Harry, Triguboff said: “I am often asked how I succeeded. Short answer—I bucked the trend. When Australians wanted a house on a quarter-acre block, I built apartments. Then I set about changing the perception of apartment living. That was not with the hardcore cottage traditionalists but with those who never thought home ownership could apply to them.
“There were two markets that had been overlooked; those who couldn’t afford a cottage, and one-half of the population – women. They were a large, untapped market with a common need. That was to have a roof over their heads—a place they never thought they could call their own.”
As recounted in the book, Triguboff built an affordable product that offered value for money, created with these very people in mind.
In the 1960s when banks wouldn’t lend to women, even if they could prove they could service the loan, Triguboff gave them vendor finance to pay for it. He said he did “that for the women and for those who simply needed a leg up”.
Following years of persistence from Triguboff’s loved ones, High-Rise Harry is his third and final attempt to share his story, penned with his longtime friend, Cindy Martin. The pair, who have known each other for over 25 years, worked closely on writing the book together. Martin says being a scribe to Harry’s life has been an honour.
⏹ The book is available in all good bookstores or your online retailer for books.
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