This has been the abiding philosophy of the Hickinbotham Group since a family meeting held around a kitchen table back in 1954 evolved into a company that has developed fifty community estates and built more than 20,000 homes.

in 1962, just eight years after the establishment of the company known then as Alan Hickinbotham Pty Ltd, they had built and furnished the first 'House of Hope' charity house in Adelaide raising over $60,000 for the Cripplied Children's Association. The following year they built another, this time to raise money for Minda Homes.

During the late 60s and early 70s the Hickinbotham Group became involved in the sponsoring of migrant famlies from the United Kingdom. In total they brought over 1000 familes to Adelaide, helped then to settle in their new country and found them jobs. The Hickinbotham Group built and furnished forty flats to provide temporary subsidised rental accommodation for these new arrivals. There was always food in the fridge and flowers on the table.

When the company celebrated its 25th birthday in 1980 they were the ones giving the presents. They commissioned world renowned sculptor Lindsay Daen to produce a full size statue of Queen Adelaide that they then gave to the community. This imposing piece stands in the foyer of the Adelaide Town Hall.

When the cash strapped South Australian government of the early 80scould not provide a much-neded school for the community at Woodend, to the south of Adelaide, the Hickinbotham Group built them their school and leased it back to the government. This radical innovation was not only a first for the state but for Australia. At around this same period they build a second school, this time for the community at Andrews Farm to the North of Adelaide. It was another first - a joint Catholic and Anglican school on one campus - St Columba College. The Hickinbotham Group donated the land and built the school for less than cost price.

Again in 1986 - South Australia's 150th Anniversary - the Hickinbotham Group were putting their hand in their pocket, this time to sponsor the Commemorative Plaque Project consisting of several hundred bronze plaques, representing prominent citizens, that are set into the footpath on the North Terrace in Adelaide City.

Seriously concerned about the state's precious water reserves, the Hickinbotham Group introduced innovative water saving ideas into their community estates. Their concern about water resources led them to sponsor the Water Down Under Symposium held in November 1994 which brought 400 water experts from around the world to Adelaide. The Hickinbotham Group also initiated an economical method to reclaim wastewater in the Renmark Paringa District Council using it for municipal watering. This stopped polluted water from flowing back into the River Murray where it was causing outbreaks of blue-green algae.

When the wine science course at Roseworthy Agricultural College was transferred down to the Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide in teh 90s, the Hickinbotham's donated $30,000 towards the building of a new science laboratory. The State-of-the-Art building was named the Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory in honour of Alan Robb Hickinbotham, one of the founders of the winemaking course back in 1936 and Stephen Hickinbotham, his grandson, a promising young winemaker who was killed in a plane crash at just 30.

The Hickinbotham Group contributes regularly to the arts, local sporting teams including South Adelaide Football Club, community clubs, health foundations and numerous charities.

In over fifty years The Hickinbotham Group has never faltered from their original covenant - to be good corporate citizens.