Tell us about your business.
The Rooney family business traces its roots back to the 1950s in the small South Australian town of Barmera. It was founded by my grandfather, Henry Rooney, under the name H.D. Rooney & Son Pty Ltd — the “son” being my father.
My grandfather purchased the business from a local gentleman named Bob Fox, who had been running a local auction and property agency around the Barmera district in South Australia. From those humble beginnings, the Rooney family steadily expanded the enterprise into a diverse regional service hub. Over the years, we became a local employment agency, agents for, Blunts Homes Builders, QBE Insurance, the Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac), and the Hindmarsh Building Society and other community related services delivered to our district.
As the business matured, it found its niche in real estate, farming and property development, and property valuations — fields that became the backbone of our family’s livelihood. It was through this valuations arm and our unique regional location (South Austrlaia’s Riverland region on the River Murray) that the Rooney family became involved in one of the most transformative economic and environmental shifts in Australian history: the birth of the Australian water market.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, as water rights were first being formally recognised and traded, our firm began assisting clients to understand and value these new entitlements. I had just joined the family business at that time, and what started as a natural extension of our valuation work soon evolved into a much larger vision — one that would later become Waterfind.
Today, Waterfind operates nationally, helping irrigators and businesses manage, trade, access, aggregate, transition and finance their water assets. We are now also developing new water markets in the United States, drawing on Australia’s hard-earned experience to help others manage water more sustainably.
What has been your greatest success?
When I look back, I can count far more failures than successes — perhaps a ratio of five or even ten to one. I don’t know if that’s just the luck of the Irish or that the family seems to have a healthy appetite for innovation and try to do things before their time? But our ratio of success to failure, in itself, has been a defining teacher. Every misstep built resilience, grit, and a deep respect for the persistence needed to build something that lasts.
If I had to name one greatest success, that took at least three goes to get right, it would be the transition of our family business — from a traditional real estate and valuation firm to a modern water management enterprise. Successfully evolving the family legacy while retiring Mum and Dad, honouring their influence, and navigating the complex emotional and financial terrain of succession has been, without doubt, my proudest achievement so far.
What do you value about FBA?
I joined Family Business Australia to connect with a network — or perhaps more fittingly, a tribe — of people who truly understand the unique joys and challenges of working within a family business.
Being part of FBA reminds me that behind every enduring family enterprise are shared values, deep relationships, and the ability and grit to navigate both the “honours and the horrors” that come with keeping the family dream alive. FBA continually reinforces the importance of these family values and behaviours — the invisible glue that allows businesses like ours to endure through generations.
What advice would you give to other family businesses?
If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be this: never underestimate the power of hope. Hope is your greatest asset in a family business.
And never forget how much can be learned — and built — around the family dinner table. Those conversations shape the next generation, not just as business leaders, but as stewards of your family’s story.
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