Ritchie Perera’s Castle Group Healthcare Donation Saves Lives

Under the leadership of Ritchie Perera, North West Sydney residential developer Castle Group has always believed in giving back to society.

This commitment is evident in the work of the Perera Foundation, Castle Group’s charitable arm. Since its inception in 2014, the Perera Foundation has donated more than $1.7 million to more than 200 charitable and community organisations across Australia. 

In 2017, the Perera Foundation donated a life-saving device called the Lucas Heart Pump to Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital [pictured above] in Western Sydney.

It is a mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] machine that performs consistent and high-quality chest compressions on patients in cardiac arrest.

Since the donation of the Lucas Heart Pump by the Perera Foundation, it has been used more than a thousand times, potentially saving hundreds of lives.

▲ Castle Group’s upcoming development at Schofields in Western Sydney has an end value of more than $170 million, part of its pipeline topping $880 million.

With a track record of over 50 ongoing and completed projects and 30+ Development Approvals within the Blacktown Council by the end of 2024, Castle Group is poised to deliver projects with a combined end value of $1 billion.

Looking ahead, Castle Group has now amassed a pipeline of over 2,000 lots slated for development between 2025 and 2032 all located in the Sydney basin, with a projected end value exceeding $2 billion.

This expansion in pipeline was due to Castle Groups strategic approach of acquiring opportunistic and undervalue assets.

"Due to this expanded pipeline, we conducted an operational review at the beginning of 2024. The review emphasised the need to grow our team, particularly within senior management, and highlighted the significant technological advancements that can enhance our project management and risk mitigation capabilities.

Most importantly, we've focused on strengthening our governance as we prepare for future growth. During the recent onboarding of 10+ new staff members, we found strong support for the work done by the Foundation, prompting us to consider further increasing our annual budgets," said Ritchie Perera, Director of Castle Group.

During Covid-19, the Lucas Heart Pump was instrumental since the situation called for minimising the number of staff near infected patients.

The Lucas Heart Pump enabled safer and more effective resuscitation efforts, hence reducing virus transmission among healthcare workers.

Ritchie Perera donated the Lucas Heart Pump to Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital from the heart.

Having migrated as a child with his family to Australia, Perera first experienced support that salvaged his family during its early years from charitable organisations and the Australian government.

Perera wants to give back through the Perera Foundation to communities that once supported him and his family.

▲ The Lucas Heart Pump was donated to Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital by the Perera Foundation, where it has been used more than 1000 times.

The difference the Lucas Heart Pump has made to Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospital is immeasurable.

In this regard, the donation does not just equip the hospital with critical life-saving equipment; it binds Castle Group closer to the heart of the communities it touches.

The Lucas Heart Pump for patients in cardiac arrest is an integral go-to machine in improving survival rates, hence a testimony to the validity of the Perera Foundation’s mission towards community welfare. 

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