WAGGA Wagga livestock agent James Tierney won the title of young auctioneer at the Sydney Royal Show back in 2008 and still credits the win for giving him a leg up on life.
“The Young Auctioneers Competition is great for our industry,” he says. “It gives young blokes a chance. It’s one of the few ways we can judge anything in the agencies game.”
Born on the land near Casterton, Victoria, James, now 33, had an ambition to be an auctioneer from a young age and recalls working on his patter as a schoolboy, sell things while riding in the car same as another would play “eye-spy”.
After he left school James gained an Elders’ traineeship moving to Hamilton after 18 months in the local office to work in livestock. From there he went to Wagga for six months before moving back to Hamilton.
“We had some big days there,” he recalled. “One massive day we traded 55,000 lambs.”
James’ big mentors in selling were the likes of Craig Pertzel and Bernie Grant, both Hamilton auctioneers who inspired the young gun with their crowd control and sheer presence.
“Particularly Craig,” said James. “He could take control of an audience. He knew his stuff and he had a strong voice. Some, like him, are very good at capturing the buyers’ attentions.
“People stop talking and listen. A lot of that is because they know the value of livestock and buyers have respect for that.”
Back at Wagga James said blokes like John Pattison and Paul Cooper gave him guidance, particularly in the finer arts of judging the value of livestock.
“It’s up to us to get the best price,” said James. “Sometimes it goes beyond our control. John was very good at keeping a line moving. If things cooled down he might suggest a lower price to wake buyers up a bit. But he’d still get the value at the end.”
Of course auctioneering is only the icing on the cake when it comes to the spectacle of a sale. Penning takes up all the agents’ time and a proper draft in the right order will provide good flow.
These days James runs his own show, in partnership with Tim Drum, calling themselves Riverina Livestock Agents. They’ve been in the game six years already.
“The young auctioneers’ competition certainly worked in my favour,” he said. “People knew me and the win gave me credibility. The most important thing after that is to do the job properly for our clients.”
