It was a handshake and a conversation 22 years ago that saw a coastal lad head west and follow his dreams.
Having grown up at Kempsey on the Mid North Coast, Shad Bailey from Colin Say and Co spent every Saturday and anytime he wasn't at school in the saleyards.
"I was virtually a coastal boy, it was coast and sport, which is what I grew up with," Mr Bailey said.
"I have always been drawn to the sector and had an interest in stock growing up on a little farm at Euroka as dad was high up in the horse scene and I loved showing cattle."
Learning the trade from Ian Argue of Kempsey Stock and Land, Mr Bailey said the pair had a "good conversation" one day that changed the direction of his career path.
"I never had plans to leave Kempsey, I wanted to stay at Kempsey Stock and Land but Ian said to me "Shad, your future is west" and 10 days later I was in Dubbo, that conversation changed my life and I never looked back," Mr Bailey said.
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Mr Bailey went straight to PT Lord, Dakin and Associate, Dubbo when he finished his high school certificate in 1998 where he stayed for 18 months before spending nearly three years with Carter Lindsay and Weber. From there he went to work in Glen Innes at the start of 2003 with Landmark, then Wesfarmers, to try his hand in the corporate sector.
That conversation changed my life and I never looked back.
- Shad Bailey, Colin Say and Co director
At the start of 2008 he went to Colin Say and Co where he worked as an agent auctioneer before becoming a director in 2010 - one of the the highlights of his career.
"To say you are part of your own business is certainly a highlight and being an auctioneer in the current climate is very exciting on both the commercial and stud stock scenes," he said.
"To me the best thing about this job is the trust you have with your clients and the people who are wanting to buy the stock.
"It's the satisfaction of dealing with clients and getting the rewards for them and taking pride in what you do, it a great feeling. Plus you are doing something different every day in this job."
Looking ahead, Mr Bailey said the future of the industry was strong.
"We are in great hands right now, you can't speak to what it will be in four to five years time but as far as the whole sector goes, our product looks very rosy for the short term."
When asked where the best place on the road is, he quickly said Queensland, with a laugh.
"It's because I go for Queensland, which comes back to doing a family tree in a primary school assessment task and because my mum is a Lewis, and I loved Wally Lewis. We also have good clients up there," he said.
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