Every week, the Village Retirement Group Managing Director Justin Harrison takes the time to visit and talk to residents at each of the company’s five South-East Queensland retirement villages.
Over a steak and salad, Justin has the opportunity at the weekly Harrison BBQ to meet new residents after they have moved into his villages, to see how they are settling in.
It’s this personal and resident-first approach which underpins The Village Retirement Group (TVRG), a family-owned company which Justin started with his father the late Michael.
TVRG opened its first village (a 256-dwelling project) at Toowoomba in the Queensland Darling Downs in the early 2000s.
Given the project was just 3km from the Toowoomba CBD, and close to shopping and other facilities, the name ‘Village’ was given both to this project and the company’s name.
TVRG has continued this approach in the development of its next four villages, which are all in highly desirable existing urban areas.
Now led by Justin as Managing Director, he was joined by new Chief Executive Officer Simon Forsyth in November 2025 alongside Executive Leadership Team members Chief Financial Officer, Simon Richardson and General Manager – Retirement Villages, Ryan Knowles.
TVRG is a South-East Queensland specialist that develops high-quality, architecturally-designed retirement villages, which are built to last, said Justin.
The Villages contain spacious and modern villas and apartments and have won eight Urban Development Institute of Australia seniors’ living awards (seven at the State level and one on the national stage).
The whole point of the design of our retirement villages is that they should never look like a retirement village, Justin says.
When people walk in the front door of one of our Villages, more often than not they are pleasantly surprised by their architecture and facilities. Our philosophy is that our residents deserve five-star living.
TVRG’s Villages cater for active, financially secure retirees who enjoy facilities such as gyms, lawn bowls and restaurants, along with health, wellness and social club programs. In addition, the four most recent VRG projects are co-located alongside aged care facilities.
Each Village is designed to foster a strong sense of community, offering first-class facilities such as community centres, cafés, bowling greens, gyms, and libraries. While centrally located, the Villages maintain a neighbourhood charm — reminiscent of the days when people knew and looked out for one another.
As a family-owned and operated business, The Village Retirement Group takes personal responsibility for the communities it creates and the well-being of its residents.
Justin Harrison affirms the Group remains committed to building vibrant, safe, and enriching communities with his vision:
We are creating communities where the third stage of people’s lives is just as much fun as the first. That’s why everyone who lives here proudly says, ‘We’re not retirees — we’re Villagers.
Sales are now underway on TVRG’s sixth retirement living project at Manly in Brisbane’s bayside eastern suburbs.
Find out more about The Village Retirement Group at thevillage.com.au
