RETSA Group

21/08/2026

Quick update from the TowWise closed beta.

Testers have now planned routes in five states and territories, from the Top End down to the Mid West of WA and across to the Victorian side. That spread matters more to us than the numbers, because low clearances are a local problem and every region has its own.

One route in particular. A tester on the NSW mid north coast planned a trip he knows well. TowWise checked the route it was given, found recorded height limits lower than his rig, and did not show it. It looked for another way and checked that one too before putting anything on screen. He spotted the detour, worked out why it was there, and told us he was glad to see it.

That is the whole idea. TowWise is a route planning tool for towing, not a navigation app. It checks a route before showing it, and if it cannot find one it is able to check, it says so rather than guessing.

The other thing testers are giving us is the stuff no dataset has. One reported a stretch of main street where mature fig trees hang low over the road. Not a bridge, not signed, not in any file we can download. That kind of local knowledge is worth more than anything we can buy.

TowWise co-founder Ben Halcomb has been doing the field testing and the talking to people, and he found one of this week's problems himself by testing a route he knows and telling us it was wrong. If you tow, or you know a road that catches people out, we want to hear about it.

Still closed beta, still plenty to fix. If you tow and want to know when it opens up, you can join the list at https://www.towwise.online - If you have a road that catches people out, or a low bridge that is not on any map, email us at [email protected]. We read every one.

19/08/2026

Two weeks ago, TowWise planned a route for a 4.0 m rig straight under a signed 3.8 m railway bridge.

We found it ourselves, in testing, the morning we were due to send the app to our first testers. We didn't send it.

The routing provider had accepted the rig height, confirmed it back to us, and returned that route anyway. The bridge simply wasn't in their map data. So we stopped, and we spent the next two weeks building something that checks every route independently before it shows you anything.

Last night, TowWise went out to our first 50 testers.

It's a planning tool, not a navigation app. You enter your combination's real height, length and width, and it checks the route against recorded restrictions before you ever leave the driveway. If it can't verify a route, it tells you that instead of guessing. It will never tell you a route is guaranteed safe, because no dataset in this country covers every bridge, and ours doesn't either.

We're not opening it up more widely yet. We want to hear from these 50 first.

If you tow and you'd like to be in the next group, join the waitlist:

Navigate safely with your trailer, caravan, or boat. Avoid low bridges, find parking, and plan the perfect route across Australia.

21/07/2026

PledgeBoard has been a journey.

Thought I’d share what’s running behind the scenes:

It’s built with Stripe for payments, Supabase for accounts and real-time data, Next.js + Vercel for speed, plus solid monitoring and security checks.

Nothing flashy, just reliable tools so schools, clubs and groups can focus on fundraising.

Free to try if you’re curious → pledgeboard.com.au

What do you think?

Any features that would be handy I've missed?

19/07/2026

🚀 A project we're proud to share...

Over the past few months, RETSA Group has been working on a new SaaS platform called PledgeBoard.

PledgeBoard is designed to help schools, sporting clubs, charities and community organisations run simple, secure online fundraising campaigns.

The project showcases what's possible when modern software development is combined with AI-assisted workflows, rapid prototyping and cloud technologies.

From concept and design through to development, Stripe integration, production deployment and launch, PledgeBoard demonstrates the kind of practical digital solutions we're passionate about building.

We're excited to see it now live and available for organisations across Australia.

🌐 https://pledgeboard.com.au

Fundraising made simple for individuals, schools, clubs, and organisations.

06/06/2026

Another app out the door, this one has been a lot of fun to build once we could get it working! Real world testing next Saturday in the Sydney 300!

16/05/2026

The RETSA Group website now has an AI-powered website assistant.

It can answer questions about our services, including training, instructional design, workflow design and practical AI tools.

The goal is simple: help visitors get quick answers, understand what RETSA Group does, and decide whether we might be a good fit for their team or project.

You can try it now at retsagroup.com.au

Less manual work. Better capability.

15/05/2026

Excited to finally share something we’ve been building behind the scenes at RETSA Group.

We’ve officially opened early testing for PledgeBoard, a modern fundraising platform designed for clubs, schools, organisations, teams, and individuals.

The goal is to make fundraising simpler, cleaner, and easier to manage online.

We’re now looking for a small group of early testers who would be willing to:
- Create a fundraiser
- Test the platform
- Provide honest feedback
- Help shape future improvements

If you’d like to check it out or know someone who may benefit from it, you can view the platform here:

https://pledgeboard.com.au

Appreciate any support as we move into the next stage of testing and development.

23/04/2026

Manual work slows good teams down.

Most businesses are not stuck because of a lack of effort. They are stuck because too much time goes into repetitive admin, back-and-forth, and manual processes.

That is exactly where simple AI tools can help.

At RETSA Group, we build practical AI tools that can be deployed quickly and used in real businesses to save time, reduce admin, and improve consistency.

DM AI if you want to see what this could look like for your team.