The best young auctioneers from around the country will travel to Sydney early next month to compete in the 2017 Australian Livestock & Property Agents Association (ALPA) National Young Auctioneers Competition.

2016 ALPA Young Auctioneer Competition National Winner Ronnie Dix of Elders Lucindale, South Australia and runner up Blake O’Reilly of Ray White Livestock, Guyra, NSW. Picture: Paul Mathews

ALPA will host two young auctioneering events in the Big Top Amphitheatre at the Sydney Royal Easter Show starting from noon on Thursday April 6.

First, 10 young auctioneers from around NSW will compete for the John Weekes Memorial Shield in the ALPA NSW Young Auctioneers Competition.The winner of that competition will go on to represent NSW in the 2018 ALPA National Young Auctioneers Competition at next year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Then the 2017 ALPA National Young Auctioneers Competition will be held, with eight national finalists competing for the Prosser Cup:

NSW | Tom Tanner, Davidson Cameron & Co, Gunnedah

NSW | Zac Ede, Elders, Scone

Qld | Jake Smith, Landmark, Roma

Qld | Lincoln Mckinlay, Topx, Gracemere

Vic | Toby Newnham, Elders, Swan Hill

Vic | Jack Hickey, Jm Ellis & Co, Hamilton

SA | Jack Coleman, Elders, Jamestown

SA | Dean Coddington, Elders, Keith

The winner will go on to represent Australia in the International Livestock Auctioneers Competition at the Calgary Stampede, Canada.

Reigning champions New South Wales will also have to defend their title for the NAB Agribusiness Team Shield. The shield is awarded to the state with the highest combined point score.

2017 marks 27 years of the ALPA National Young Auctioneers Competition and 29 years of the ALPA NSW Young Auctioneers Competition.

ALPA CEO Andy Madigan said the knowledge and skills young auctioneers brought to the competition was outstanding.

“Their professionalism reflects the training and education that ALPA provides across Australia,” he said.

In 2016 all competitors attended one or more ALPA auctioneer schools.

ALPA auctioneer schools provide auctioneers with an opportunity to develop and improve their auctioneering skills. Attendees receive valuable feedback and advice from both experienced auctioneers and speech pathologists.

Based on their industry experience and strong selling backgrounds, three judges have been selected to determine the winning auctioneer.

Competitors will be judged on their diction, values, voice and manner. They must establish their own presence and unique style, to deliver a performance that is worthy of a title.

On the night before the competitions, ALPA members, industry members and the competitors’ friends and family will gather for the annual ALPA NSW & National Young Auctioneers Competitions Dinner.

A highlight will be the charity auction, conducted by the 2016 National Young Auctioneers Competition winner, Ronnie Dix.

After winning the national title, Ronnie was then named “Rookie of the Year” at the 2016 Calgary Stampede International Livestock Auctioneer Championships. He became only the second Australian to bring home a Calgary buckle. In 1999 Australian Luke Scicluna who then worked for William Inglis and Son in Camden, NSW won the same title.

This year ALPA will raise funds to support the work of the John Logan Foundation, a not- for- profit charity that offers financial support to people diagnosed with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. The Foundation assists by contributing to the cost of prescribed treatments and procedures that are not available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Source: ALPA