New era for Southern Cross

Iconic Toowoomba brand returns to Australian hands after sale by Pentair

ICONIC water tank and windmill brand Southern Cross has returned to Australian ownership, with operations under new owner Pioneer Water Tanks starting yesterday in Withcott.

The recognisable image of a lone Southern Cross windmill against a cloudless blue sky has been synonymous with the Australian landscape for more

than a century.

Grown out of a company established in Toowoomba by Griffith Bros in 1871, the Southern Cross name was created in 1903 at the Toowoomba Foundry.

The Chronicle last month revealed former owner Pentair had secured the sale of the Southern Cross brand, but would not say how many local jobs were lost as a result of the sale and the relocation of its pumping business to another site in Sydney.

Yesterday Southern Cross Water general manager Daniel Wyatt said the company would have 12 employees involved in the manufacturing of tanks and windmills in Withcott, with plans for growth.

“We’re going to do our best to revitalise the Southern Cross brand,” Mr Wyatt said.

“We’ll hope to be able to grow (the number of employees) as we can show the business is growing again. We plan to expand that as necessary to cope with demand.”

Mr Wyatt said the company was planning to invest more money and marketing in the Southern Cross Brand.

“We’ll be back at Farmfest this year - those sorts of rural agricultural shows are really important to us to help spread the word that we’re back in the marketing and looking to grow again,” he said.

Southern Cross Water is wholly owned by Pioneer Water Tanks, which is itself a subsidiary of Ahrens Pty Ltd.

Australian-owned and operated, Ahrens, is a national construction, engineering and manufacturing company with a rich-history of providing rural infrastructure solutions.

The fourth-generation family-owned business started in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, in 1906 and has grown and expanded to become the multi-faceted national company it is today.

Ahrens managing director Stefan Ahrens said he was proud to return one of the nation’s most iconic rural brands back into Australian hands.

“Southern Cross has a rich cultural significance in Australian history and we are looking forward to taking this brand to another level, supported by the strengths of our existing Pioneer Water Tanks business which has operations in Australia and the US,” Mr Ahrens said.