Not a million miles away from Bowral, NSW, home of the greatest Australian to ever ‘don’ the baggy green, Nowra-based Walsh & Monaghan has chalked up a century since the valuation firm first opened its doors.
The firm was established in 1923 when South Coast farmers Ulrich Walsh & Stan Monaghan decided to become stock and station agents and their office in the P. Walsh and Sons building on Junction Street is around 150 metres from where today’s office is located.
While Stan left the business in 1933, Ulrich carried on as sole practitioner and during the 1940s became a member of the Commonwealth Institute of Valuers.
Since Ulrich’s son, Brian, joined the firm as an agent and then valuer in the 1950s, the business has progressively evolved from a small real estate and property agency into large independent regional valuation firm.
With offices in Nowra and Wollongong, the firm services the South Coast, Far South Coast, Illawarra, Southern Highlands, the greater Sydney region and interstate clients.
These days the firm provides commercial, residential, industrial, and rural properties as well as specialised assets for businesses, individuals, corporations, or government entities in addition to Rating and Taxation for the NSW Governor General.
Time-honoured value
While the industry is barely recognisable after 100 years, especially with the types of valuations, the one thing that hasn’t changed notes Darren Austin, director at Walsh & Monaghan is exceptionally high industry standards, independent expertise and unrivalled customer service.
“Walsh & Monaghan continues to lead the way in property valuation services for individuals, businesses, and government departments,” said Austin.
Having grown from two people in one office on the NSW South Coast to 35-plus highly skilled and experienced valuers and support staff across four locations in NSW, the Walsh & Monaghan team continues to go from strength to strength.”
Regional roots – national reach
Austin attributes the company’s longevity to the value placed in its people across the organisation, a deeper knowledge of the industry plus a passion for the areas in which they live and operate.
Every person at Walsh & Monaghan, adds Austin has an equal opportunity to excel in their career, supported by a flexible leadership team that nurtures development through graduate trainee programs, ongoing mentoring, and valuation experience throughout the organisation.
“As Directors, we all understand the continual success of the firm into the next 100 years rests in the hands of our staff,” said Austin who noted that each of the four directors has led by example for over 20 years at the firm.
“We have achieved ISO certification by delivering the highest quality of personalised services for their clients… and this is evidenced through the continued expansion of their footprint into major metro areas and winning significant tenders.”
What 100 years as a business with strong regional roots demonstrates, adds Austin is that an organisation can provide best-in-class services for metro areas and further afield, while still being based in regional Australia.
Around 200 guests will help Walsh & Monaghan celebrate its 100 anniversary in Nowra this weekend.
Image: The original office in the P. Walsh and Sons building on Junction Street is around 150 metres from where today’s office is located.
