Long before he ever held a contract, he was doing the work in his mum Judith Cush’s business, stamping boxes, letterbox dropping, and getting up early to hammer in directional signs. While he wanted a career on the small screen, real estate chose him. Thirty years on, that boy from Moorooka is one of the most respected figures in Ray White's history.
Haesley's early years were shaped by mentors who set an impossibly high bar. Phil Parker, then Queensland's chief auctioneer, took young Haesley under his wing. Before holding an auctioneer's licence, Haesley spent years calling charity auctions, building the craft long before he stood in front of a buying public.
Along the way, names like Peter Camphin, Dwight Ferguson, Tony Warland, the late David Price, plus Brian and the White family shaped his thoughts on leadership. Carey Smith, Stephen Nell, Angela McNaughton, Mark Guthrie, and Matt Sims all taught him about building sustainable businesses.
By 2017, when the partnership of what is now known as Ray White Collective began to take shape alongside Matt Lancashire, Haesley drew on all of it. What they have built together, and continue to build with eight business partners, is testament to investing in people. Today, Ray White Collective spans seven locations across Brisbane, with 195 staff and a senior management team of 24. The awards have come steadily, including Chairman's Elite Business recognition every year from 2018 through 2025.
Ray White Collective Luxury launched in 2026, the latest chapter in a story showing no sign of slowing. Through all of it, and more than 30,000 auctions called over a three-decade career, Haesley has remained the constant at the centre. What separates the great leaders from the merely successful is structure, discipline, and knowing what matters. Haesley is obsessive about the simple things: a weekly walk with his mum, Friday coffee with his dad and brother, Wednesday family dinners, holidays booked 15 months in advance, and showing up in his signature suit and tie.
“If I can create boundaries for the things that matter then anyone can. If exercise matters then do it, if time with your family matters find out how to make that work. Work matters, so put a fence around it and become very disciplined about what matters,” Haesley said.
“This level of scheduling didn’t come naturally to me but I am obsessed with consistency now but keep it simple. I go to training every morning, I take my herbs, I cook a full breakfast with vegetables each day and I put on my suit. I say my affirmations daily. I am lucky, I am in love with my wife. I have three beautiful kids. I am very lucky.”
He said the daily suit matters because it takes him 10 seconds to decide on what to wear each day and he then looks like a leader.
“I feel great in a suit, I never feel overdressed and it sets the standard for our group. And if you drop your standards, everything drops.”
He uses the Richard & Richards tailors on James St, New Farm and has 10-12 suits on rotation. Haesley started because his mother built something worth showing up for. Thirty years down, and plenty more still to go. Here's to you, Haes.
