Our story
One mixer.
A whole industry.
The largest family-owned equipment hire business in Australia and New Zealand.
“I won't lend it to you, but I'll hire it to you.”
1948
How It Began
Walter Kennard owned a small rural supply and machinery business in Bathurst, 200km west of Sydney, NSW. Humble beginnings for W. Kennard & Company. When a customer asked to borrow the new Lightburn concrete mixer, Wally said he would hire it instead. And so, the journey began.
1951
Grounded in History
Post-war Australia was experiencing an unprecedented building boom. The Kennard family business prospered in regional NSW, then relocated to Sydney. From the garage of the family home, W. Kennard Agencies sold, hired and created products, travelling the country to find new equipment and modify machines to work more efficiently and safely.
2023
75 Years of Taking Hire Higher
The Kennards Hire business celebrated 75 years as an iconic Australian brand, now renowned as a premium supplier of quality equipment and expert advice, proud to be at the forefront of industry safety, innovation and customer experience.
Today
Multi-Generational Family-in-Business
Kennards Hire is now the largest family-owned equipment hire business in Australia and New Zealand, with over 200 branches and sites and more than 1,900 team members.
The story keeps going in Toowoomba
The Harristown yard opens its gates at 6:30am on weekdays with the same idea Wally started with: the right machine, ready to work.
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