The Cush legacy: Haesley and Judith

“My earliest memory of mum in real estate is her ‘hiring’ Charlie (my brother) and I, to stamp contracts,” Haesley said.

“We would race into the office after school, our school bags still slung over our shoulders, earning five dollars for every full box we completed.”

Judith Cush, still a revered name in Brisbane’s real estate community, didn’t set out to build an empire. After a stint living in Papua New Guinea, Judith returned to Brisbane determined to buy a home for her young family, finally settling on a rambling colonial in Tarragindi.

It was through that process she found herself drawn into the world of real estate, joining Ray White Moorooka.

“I made it clear to the principal that I wanted to work for her,” Judith said. “I was nervous to start while I had little kids, but I negotiated hard to make sure I could still pick Haesley and Charlie up from school.”

Despite the demands of a burgeoning career, Judith’s priorities never wavered.

Haesley said "Her office was always a hive of activity. Sometimes we’d tag along to inspections late into the evening, and I would have fun trying to guess what the houses would sell for."

It wasn’t just paperwork and open homes that formed Haesley’s early real estate education. "I would wake up early before school to help put up signboards," he said. "I didn’t expect to join real estate. Comments about agents being smarmy completely shocked me, because all I had ever seen growing up was how hard Mum worked and how respected she was. When I did some work experience at Mum's office, it felt like a natural fit."

The mother-son duo would go on to work together at Ray White Moorooka for six years, cementing a professional and personal relationship built on deep admiration. Judith, for her part, saw Haesley’s spark early.

“Haesley always took a keen interest in exactly what I did with my days,” Judith said. "He loved pointing out my signboards whenever we drove past them. Once he discovered real estate for himself, he was ready to run with it."

Haesley’s journey through real estate has been nothing short of remarkable. From buying Ray White New Farm in 2005 to becoming CEO and co-partner of the powerhouse Ray White Collective, which recently won Ray White Queensland’s number one business award, he has carved a path few could match.

For Haesley, the true foundation of his success was laid at home.

"Because I was raised by an extremely hardworking Mum with an entrepreneurial spirit, I grew up with no concept that women might not have equal footing in business," Haesley said. "Mum was a trailblazer, and now that I’m in my 40s, I realise how rare it was to grow up with that being the norm. It’s something I’m incredibly proud of."

Haesley said that more than teaching him about real estate, Judith imparted more important lessons about culture, entrepreneurship, and tenacity.

Describing Judith in one word, Haesley said without hesitation: “tenacious.”

Judith smiled when she heard this. "That’s exactly the word I had in my head for Haesley, too," she said.

Throughout her own career, Judith built and sold highly successful Ray White offices in Moorooka and Annerley, employing hundreds and selling thousands of properties. Now, she continues to inspire as the leader of the Living Here Cush Partners sales team. Within the fraternity, she’s known as one of the most determined agents in Brisbane history.

That tenacity, Judith said, has clearly passed to her son.

"I am so incredibly proud of Haesley’s work ethic," she said. "It’s not just in business. He’s also an outstanding role model as a family man and a father."

Today, the legacy of learning side-by-side continues into a new generation. Haesley's daughter, Vivienne, often joins him at auctions.

"Vivienne has been sitting next to me at auctions for the past three or four years," Haesley said. "When I was a kid, it was fun being around Mum’s work, and now as a parent, I have a whole new perspective. If I have Vivienne with me for ten auctions on a Saturday, it doesn’t feel like work anymore."

Judith smiled at the memory of juggling motherhood and career, echoing a sentiment only a parent who has lived it could understand. "I would never have changed those times for the world," she said. "Even though sometimes it meant getting late-night McDonald’s!"

“Haesley’s old buddies who I used to pick up from school still call me for real estate advice. The trust, the relationships, that’s what it’s all about.”

The respect between mother and son runs deep, forged by a childhood spent in the rhythm of real estate and adulthood spent living out the values Judith modeled every day.

“More than anything else, Mum never took a shortcut,” Haesley said. "She role modeled resilience, integrity, and tenacity. Charlie and I are the benefactors of that."