It is a privilege to accept this wonderful honour on behalf of Ray Powys, his family and many friends and colleagues.
As has already been said, Ray was a visionary, a strategist and a pioneer. In building AMP’s property investment portfolio and business and helping drive the creation of our modern property industry he didn’t have a clear path to follow – he had to build that path. He did that with confidence, determination and passion.
He understood the importance of information, the value of sound research and the need for an educational framework tailored for the property industry – we couldn’t achieve the sophistication and growth potential he foresaw without a major commitment to recruiting and developing people, particularly young people.
Ray saw the importance of an industry organisation that could deliver all of this and be a communicator and lobbyist on behalf of the industry.
Having the vision is one thing – but delivering on it is another – and Ray set about this task both at AMP and in the industry with his characteristic vigour and determination to get things done. He built and worked with an extensive network – here and overseas.
It helped that he was a straight talker. If I could illustrate his approach with a personal experience. Over 40 years ago Ray offered to transfer me into property – a chance I jumped at. He then went on say, I really didn’t want you, but because of our protective in-house union I’m not able to go to the market and recruit a seasoned property professional – so welcome to property Jack! and by the way I want you to go back to Uni at night for three years and do a town planning course because we need to understand how those guys think and I want you to enrol in Professor Dennis Winston’s course at Sydney Uni – and here is the course outline!
It took all of three minutes and changed my life, as he has done for many others. He paid great attention to people.
It was so good to hear Ray’s voice on that video – it came from an oral history interview with my wife Di in 1991.
Ray would be immensely proud of today’s property industry and of the Property Council. This Hall of Fame is a wonderful initiative and he would be so proud of this great honour.
Well done Ray! thank you to the Property Council.
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Ray Powys AM