One of Australia’s most well-known philanthropists, Lang Walker, passed away on the weekend.
A pioneer in the country’s property development industry for over half a century, Walker played a major role in shaping and reimagining the urban landscape.
As Founder and Executive Chairman of Walker Corporation, he specialised in thousands of urban transformation projects, creating new communities and business precincts across cities and suburbs which have made a substantial impact on people’s daily lives.
His commitment to Greater Western Sydney in particular is evident through his extensive developments across Parramatta Square, Bankstown and the Macarthur region – projects that have reactivated public spaces and enriched civic communities.
In a statement, Walker’s family said their hearts were “broken” by the loss of a “great man who changed the lives of so many people through his visionary projects and philanthropy”.
“Lang loved creating incredible places where people can live and work, but he loved his family more than anything else in the world and his generosity and affection had no boundaries,” they said.
“His zest for life and his relentless pursuit of perfection lives on within everyone in the Walker family.”
The businessman founded what would later become the Walker Corporation with his father Alec in 1964.
The company originally specialised in earthmoving and quarrying before moving into residential property – rebranding from A&L Walker to Walker Corporation in 1973, growing rapidly into civil engineering and excavation.
It later branched into the development of apartments, industrial parks and commercial centres, boasting about 500 staff around the world.
The Walker family were generous supporters on issues ranging from education, social welfare, medical research, health care, heritage, art and culture, sporting causes and commerce.
A long-term friend and supporter of Western Sydney University, Walker made a profound contribution to the University’s own growth and development.
A strategic partnership between the University and Walker Group helped realise an ambitious vision to deliver state-of-the-art transformational educational infrastructure and world-class medical research facilities for the fast growing South-Western Sydney region.
This includes the University’s $340 million state-of-the-art vertical campus in the Bankstown CBD, which opened in 2022 and delivered in partnership with Walker Corporation, and Walker’s generous contribution of over $20 million to establish the Lang Walker AO Medical Research Building – Macarthur.
University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Barney Glover, said Walker was an outstanding Australian who made a generational difference helping shape Western Sydney.
“Few have done more to shape our cities, enliven our nation’s civic spaces, and enrich individual’s lives as Lang Walker,” he said.