| When you ask Raynuha Sinnathamby what | | | | for about two years we were actually out of |
| defines the family business she replies without | | | | residential development. Then we got back into it |
| hesitation. "We never give up. And if you don't | | | | and really why we got back into it was because |
| have that mindset you don't fit into our | | | | of Brookwater, which we didn't want to hand |
| organisation very well." A petite woman, she | | | | over to anyone else," Raynuha remembers the |
| speaks in a soft voice that belies a sharp intellect | | | | early days fondly when there were just 11 |
| and a will of steel. | | | | employees. |
| Just like her father, Raynuha is unfazed by | | | | "I just took it all in my stride. Because we were |
| obstacles and in that respect she is definitely a | | | | such a small staff we basically did whatever had |
| chip off the old block. She honed her tenacious | | | | to be done and so dad got me involved in many |
| business skills by starting her career as a | | | | other areas which we just took up and ran with." |
| property lawyer. | | | | "We certainly had a joint venture partner at the |
| "Playing a legal role teaches you problem-solving | | | | time but Brookwater was setting a benchmark in |
| abilities. Nothing that we've ever done in Springfield | | | | terms of living, in terms of prestige goals and in |
| results from a rule book that says 'this is how | | | | terms of price point and so we wanted to control |
| you build a master planned development'. It's been | | | | that because it affected the rest of our |
| thinking outside the square, being faced with a | | | | development. |
| problem or a challenge and having to find a | | | | "We had to pick up the skills as we went along |
| solution for that. I think that is probably the | | | | because we had never built a golf course before |
| biggest asset I've brought to the company," she | | | | and so we had to, I guess, steel ourselves up in |
| says. | | | | that area but also bring in expertise that could |
| Raynuha liked working as a lawyer and was doing | | | | assist us with delivering a Greg Norman-designed |
| well so it wasn't until her father tapped her on the | | | | world class course." |
| shoulder in 2003, when she was aged 28, that | | | | This practical, get on with it attitude clearly works |
| she even considered working with him. | | | | for the Sinnathamby family and is a tactic often |
| "At that time dad wasn't very well and he said | | | | repeated. |
| 'look, why don't you just come and try it for a | | | | "We built an education city and none of us had |
| year and see how you find it and then just make | | | | built an education city before and so bringing in |
| up your own mind' and when you're still in your | | | | expertise when we needed it plus using our own |
| twenties I thought it doesn't really matter with | | | | nous and general commercial skills to make sure |
| timelines. By the time I came over I just never | | | | that one; we keep our head above water at all |
| looked back because of the whole range of | | | | times, two; we keep our debts very low as an |
| opportunities that you get at Springfield are | | | | organisation and three;we can still deliver world |
| unique." | | | | class facilities in Springfield." Raynuha says this |
| "It was a smooth transition and while we had | | | | gives the business peace of mind. |
| external lawyers as well, I was able to come to | | | | "Every bit we add to the project, even if it's less |
| grips with the different structures of the projects | | | | profitable, does add value to the whole |
| pretty quickly and use that knowledge to help us | | | | community at large and to the land holding at |
| leverage to build better agreements for the | | | | large. You just keep chipping away, you've got |
| organisation. Some of our key partnership | | | | this master plan and you've just got to deliver it." |
| infrastructure agreements I played a role in | | | | Now 110 people are employed by Springfield Land |
| helping to negotiate." | | | | Corporation and Raynuha says the secret to the |
| Working with her dad is a vastly different | | | | success is never giving up on a decision even |
| experience from working as a corporate lawyer. | | | | when challenges are thrown in your path. The |
| Raynuha says she works hard at behaving like | | | | heart of the project is the Greater Springfield |
| any other employee. | | | | CBD. At 320 hectares, the land area is twice the |
| "If that means you stay back late, then you do | | | | size of the State's capital, the Brisbane CBD. |
| what is expected of everyone else. I wanted to | | | | "Our focus over the next 12 months is to deliver |
| set the example but also ensure that I don't | | | | our job target of one job for every three of our |
| receive any special treatment or favouritism and | | | | residents. So we have a very strong focus on |
| that's how I've conducted myself in the | | | | the style of our project being designated a |
| organisation." | | | | Commercial Business District and making sure we |
| The Sinnathamby's had a number of projects | | | | deliver that CBD status. |
| happening around Queensland in the early days of | | | | You just keep going at it until the end," she says |
| Springfield but once they could see how much | | | | relentlessly. |
| time the development was taking up they bit the | | | | This dogged determination saw Greater Springfield |
| bullet, let everything else go and moved out of | | | | recently win the coveted Urban Development |
| their inner city offices and relocated to the site in | | | | Industry Association (UDIA) President's Award in |
| the State's Western Corridor, the fastest growing | | | | addition to a category award. The family is very |
| region in Queensland. Greater Springfield is spread | | | | pleased with this acknowledgement. |
| across 2,860 hectares and has been cleverly | | | | The project at inception was called Springfield |
| planned to be a fully independent city. | | | | because it was adjacent to an area named Spring |
| According to the promotional write-up the urban | | | | Mountain. The Sinnathamby family are not |
| development is 'a place where people can live, | | | | mountain climbers but this project could be seen |
| learn, work and play'. It has its own education city | | | | as their own personal Everest. |
| and health city and is underpinned by world class | | | | "We will now use the UDIA's recognition to help us |
| technology. | | | | convince more businesses and people to call |
| "We realised what a mammoth task Springfield | | | | Greater Springfield home. Other developments |
| was and we just rebuilt the organisation around | | | | may claim to be 'master planned' to suit their |
| that. The residential was the first to take off and | | | | marketing brochures, but there is really only one |
| we then did the deal with Delfin in 1999. We were | | | | master planned city and that is Greater |
| very much cutting up the blocks of land ourselves | | | | Springfield," she says with pride. "There is nothing |
| and selling them and we never really got out of | | | | like Greater Springfield in the whole of Australia |
| that business until we built the golf course," | | | | and we are so glad the judges recognised that. |
| Raynuha says. | | | | Our biggest challenge and our biggest success is |
| "Once we built the golf course we decided to | | | | making people believe. |
| project manage that whole thing ourselves and | | | | |