Meet 20 of Australia’s best livestock auctioneers
Australia’s livestock auctioneers sell thousands of cattle for millions of dollars every year. Meet 20 of the best, from across the country.
Auctioneers wield the gavel and help make history at some of Australia’s top-performing commercial and seedstock sales.
See some of the major players who take the rostrum as millions of dollars change hands.
PAUL DOOLEY
Paul Dooley of northern NSW was the inaugural winner of the national Young Auctioneers competition at the Sydney Royal Show in 1991, and the first Australian to compete at the Calgary Stampede in Canada. He can be found taking bids at stud stock sales from the length and breadth of Australia.
BRIAN LESLIE
Brian Leslie started auctioneering when he was 15 and received a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the Dairy Cattle Industry. He currently works for Dairy Livestock Services. He can regularly be found at dairy seedstock auctions and also sells beef cattle.
JOEL FLEMING
Joel Fleming won the ALPA national auctioneers competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2012 after starting his selling career in 2009.
He follows in the footsteps of his father, Peter Fleming, who is a livestock agent and auctioneer with Elders Goondiwindi, Queensland.
Joel currently works for Nutrien Harcourts Tamworth and can be found on the catwalk at store sales, or holding a gavel during bull auctions and horse sales.
“It is a diverse role, and it is always challenging,” he said.
Joel said the pace of a prime cattle sale was one of his favourite aspects of the job. “You can go from $4/kg back to $2/kg, and it is quick and fluent … it keeps me on my toes,” he said.
ROSS MILNE
Ross Milne is the Elders studstock manager for Victoria and Riverina, based at Hamilton. He has been in the livestock industry for around 30 years and can be found at auctions throughout the length and breadth of Australia.
“I enjoy seeing clients having a successful sale,” he said.
Ross said he hopes his role as an auctioneer has positively contributed to the outcome of each auction he is involved in.
DUSTYN FITZGERALD
Dustyn Fitzgerald of Queensland Rural Livestock and Property at Charters Towers won the ALPA young auctioneers title for his state in 2023 and competed in the national event at the Sydney Royal Easter Show this year. He has been selling for two years and says his aim is to extract every cent for the client. “I enjoy selling and having some fun with it too.”
He is a regular face at the Charters Towers weekly prime and store cattle sales.
JUSTIN OAKENFULL
Justin Oakenfull of Elders Rural Services at Inverell in NSW is the latest national winner of the ALPA young auctioneers competition. Justin earned the top award at the Sydney Royal Easter Show earlier this month.
MORGAN DAVIES
Morgan Davies is the livestock manager with Elders at Bairnsdale and is a regular face on the catwalk during the annual mountain calf sales.
He said these annual sales at Omeo and the weaner sales at Yea are a highlight of his year.
Morgan was second in the ALPA national young auctioneers competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2012.
“I have been selling since 2006 and I take a lot of pride in what I do,” he said.
JAMES TIERNEY
James Tierney is a director of Riverina Livestock Agents based in Wagga Wagga, southern NSW. He won the ALPA national young auctioneers title at Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2008 when he was working for Elders. He is a regular face at the Wagga Wagga sheep and lamb sale and can be found at studstock, store and prime auctions.
LINCOLN McKINLAY
Lincoln McKinlay is a studstock agent and auctioneer with Elders at Inverell, NSW.
In 2017 he had success on the world stage when he represented Australia in the auctioneering competition at the Calgary Stampede in Canada.
Lincoln had previously won the ALPA national competition and then later followed it up by winning the International Livestock Auctioneer Rookie of the Year award in Canada.
“I have been selling for about 10 years, and the thing I enjoy most about the job is the people we meet,” he said.
HARRY WATERS
Harry Waters of Elders Gundagai won the 2023 ALPA national young auctioneers competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The win followed his success in the state title in 2022. He has been working as a livestock agency for six years and is a regular face at markets in southern NSW including the weekly Wagga Wagga cattle sale.
WARREN JOHNSTON
Warren Johnston of Nutrien Tasmania is a former president of the Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association. He sold a bull at the Landfall Angus sale near Launceston for $240,000 in 2023. He can be found at studstock sales plus regular prime and store markets throughout the island state.
LEO WHITE
Leo white is a director of TB White & Sons and has been selling the top lines of cattle and sheep at Ballarat for many years. Aside from being a gun auctioneer, Leo’s analysis of the market is second to none.
JOE WILKS
Joe Wilks, principal of Wilks and McKean, Wagga Wagga, in southern NSW, says he had his mind made up on a career path when he was about five years old. Joe has won both the NSW and national sections of the ALPA young auctioneers competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
BRETT SHEA
Brett Shea is the livestock manager with Elders Albury and cut his teeth as an auctioneer at Kyneton under the tutelage of Brendan Coxan.
Brett was the runner-up in the ALPA national young auctioneers competition in 2011 and before that had won the Victorian section of the event twice.
“My favourite part of the job is in being able to complete that final link in the selling chain,” he said.
“You might be selling your client’s cattle, but before that, you have been on a farm and seen the program or been at the bull sale helping to purchase sires,” he said.
RYAN SARGEANT
Ryan Sargeant is livestock territory sales manager for Elders at Mansfield and Yea and has been in the industry for 13 years.
He has been an auctioneer for 11 years and has won the Victorian section of the Australian Livestock and Property Agents young auctioneers competition twice and was runner-up in the national category in 2014.
“I enjoy achieving the best result for our clients in an auction system,” he said.
ANTHONY DELANEY
Anthony Delaney is the manager and director of Elders Delaney Livestock based at Bunyip and holds kudos as one of the first Australians to judge the auctioneering competition at Calgary Stampede.
Anthony judged the Calgary Stamped auctioneering competition in Canada back in 2019, and he has also competed there after having success in the Australian Livestock and Property Agents events.
He won the Australian young auctioneers competition in 2010 and had success in the Victorian section of the event in 2007 and 2009.
“What I have loved in my career is that I can represent a client’s stock right through until the final point of business,” he said.
LIAM KIRKWOOD
Liam Kirkwood is the principal of Ray White Rural in Townsville, Queensland. He won the ALPA national young auctioneer at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2021. Before that he had success in the Queensland competition and earned the win in 2019.
HARRY COZENS
Harry Cozens is a livestock agent and territory sales manager based at Elders Albury. In October 2023, he was named the Victorian young auctioneer winner in the ALPA competition. Harry said he enjoys talking to clients and buyers. He said being an auctioneer gave him excellent job satisfaction.
SIMON HENDERSON
Simon Henderson is a livestock agent and auctioneer and director at Phelan & Henderson & Co at Leongatha. He won the national young auctioneers competition in 1994. He has more than 35 years of livestock industry selling experience.
JACK GINNANE
Jack Ginnane of Nutrien at Leongatha holds claim to winning the 2022 ALPA Victoria Young Auctioneers Competition.
It was the second time he had won the competition after first earning the honours back in 2020.
Jack is a regular face on the catwalk and regularly sells at prime and store sheep and cattle markets.
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