By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
KNOWN around these parts as Cranbourne’s loveable answer to Gina Rinehart, Judy Clarkson has helped build Cranbourne and can now put Clyde on her list of achievements.
Ms Clarkson, along with her business partner and daughter Jodie Mitchell, officially opened Shopping on Clyde on Friday 4 November.
Ms Clarkson was thrilled to see the centre car park full on its first day of trading and said that she looks forward to seeing the entire 100 acres on Berwick-Cranbourne Road fully developed.
“We did it for Cranbourne and Cyde,” she said.
“I want to upgrade the whole area and I’m really proud of it – it was very badly needed in Clyde.
“The areas need more facilities with all the homes getting built.”
Smiles lit up the mother daughter teams faces as they cut the ribbon amid a flurry of live music, trumpeters and champagne was passed around the large crowd.
And with stage one of the Clyde developments complete Ms Clarkson said she has big plans for the rest of the vacant land.
“We’ve already got Blue Hills Retirement Village on this land and we want to put a golf course behind the shopping centre as well as a tavern and medical centre,” she said.
Shopping on Clyde still has some empty shop fronts but Ms Clarkson said residents can expect a fish and chip shop, butcher and apparel stores.
“There’s 21 variety shops, plus Coles, McDonald’s, Shell petrol station and Chemmart Pharmacy,” she said.
“The architects worked with me and Jodie and the centre looks exactly how we wanted it to.”
The Cranbourne business moguls currently own six day care and kindergarten centres in the area, a business Ms Clarkson has been growing since 1968.
“I started my first job in Cranbourne aged 16,” she said.
About 100 people attended the official opening and Berwick resident Sue Ryan said Shopping on Clyde is her new favourite venue.
“It’s the most attractive centre I’ve seen for a long time,” she said.
“I’ll bypass Berwick and Eden Rise to shop here, it’s so lovely.”
Ms Clarkson said locals can be sure that the Shopping on Clyde development won’t get sold off.
“Were keeping it going, we won’t sell off or anything like that – it’s going to the grandchildren,” she said, smiling.
