24 Jul 25
“How long have you been around?”
It’s a question we hear often, and to be frank, the answer is long enough to have made just about everything imaginable out of leather. But the real story of Buckaroo isn’t measured in years, it’s measured in moments, materials, and the hands that shaped them.
Buckaroo didn’t start as a brand.
Our journey began in 1971, when Ken Van Der Water arrived in Western Sydney from South Africa with his young family and a suitcase full of determination. With bills to pay and mouths to feed, Ken turned to what he knew best – leatherwork. He started small, crafting dog collars in his garage and sending his kids out to sell them door to door. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was honest work, and it laid the foundation for something much bigger.
When the family moved south to Stanwell Park, so did the business. What had begun as a hustle grew into a fully fledged leather workshop built on craftsmanship, creativity, and a deep sense of purpose. In those early years of Ken Van Der Water Belts, before rebranding as Buckaroo, there was no product catalogue, no limits. If it could be made in leather, Ken would make it.
We still have an archive of the extraordinary range of products Ken & co created over the years: whips, boot straps, hats, belts, shoes, handbags – you name it, we’ve made it. Customers would walk in with an idea, and Ken would turn it into reality, sketching, cutting, and stitching until it came to life. That willingness to say yes to any challenge is a big part of what made Buckaroo what it is today.
In the late ’90s, two Māori tradesmen came to Ken with a specific request—a supportive, high-quality belt they could wear comfortably every day. Ken’s most iconic innovation would change the game forever. He designed the first adaptable tool belt built for any trade – a belt that didn’t just hold tools, it improved how tradies moved, worked, and performed.
Back then, tool belts weren’t something you bought off a shelf, they were personal, built to fit the job, the body, and the trade. Ken’s philosophy was clear: if you’re going to make something, make it well, and make it look good too. It was a bold move in an industry that hadn’t cared much about style, but it paid off. Tradies embraced the sharp black and orange belts, and Buckaroo became a statement on job sites across the country. Word spread, and as more tradespeople discovered the difference, Buckaroo slowly transformed from a small workshop into a symbol of quality gear – gear that worked as hard as the people wearing it.
That conversation led to the creation of what would become our best-seller, the Buckaroo Signature Belt. It was a moment that reshaped our brand and helped redefine what tool belts could be.
“Dad’s design blew it out of the water; he brought an aesthetic to the industry that wasn’t there before,” says Tanya, Ken’s daughter and the current CEO of Buckaroo.
Tanya grew up surrounded by leather, tools, and tradition. Today, she leads the company with the same vision and values her father embedded in the brand: craftsmanship, integrity, and Australian‑made pride.
In 2021, we celebrated 50 years of Buckaroo. From a backyard workshop to a nationally recognised name in trades gear, we’ve come a long way, but we’ve never lost sight of where we came from.
