Ten of the best: Meet the ALPA NSW Young Auctioneers Competition finalists

While many of the finalists have experience in the competition, there are also first-timers who managed to wow the selectors during the ALPA NSW selection school at Warwick Farm in Sydney late last year.

The Land caught up with each auctioneer to find out who they are and how their preparations are going for the competition on March 22 at The Big Top Amphitheatre during the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

THIS will be Ryan's fourth year in the NSW final and as a result he's been working on the "polish" of his performance as an auctioneer.

"I'm conscious of making sure my voice is really clear and controlling my energy levels to ensure I can keep the momentum going until the end of the auction," he said.

"My style is high energy to demand the attention of the audtience, but I'm learning to taper that to ensure it's not too over the top."

Ryan said he enjoys the thrill of the auction and being in control of getting a good result for his clients when selling their stock.

He also enjoys the lifestyle and flexibility of agency work.

"You can be flat out and go, go, go, but then there's also the opportunity to switch off at other times," he said.

Ryan said catching up with friends and family in his free time is important and he also enjoys water skiing in the summer.

JAIDEN describes his selling style as energetic and positive and hopes that will help push him to victory in this year's competition.

This will be the third year he's made the trip to Sydney for the finals and although it's natural to get nervous, he said having been there before should help.

"One of the things I've found challenging about auctioneering is the selling ring at Wagga," he said.

"For some reason, the ring selling makes me more nervous as it's a totally different atmosphere and the people are closer in the ring.

"Having said that, I think the ring is closer to the set- up when you compete in Sydney, so that's helped me with my finals preparation."

Jaiden's been an auctioneer for three years and agent for six, so he's had plenty of time to figure out what he loves about the work.

"I think it's the fact that no two days are the same and I like the variety that brings with it," he said.

In his spare time, he enjoys rugby league, water skiing, fishing and golf.

MATTHEW started with Nutien stud stock in September 2023 and although he's only been an auctioneer for a short period, he's looking forward to embracing all the opportunities that come with being in the NSW final.

"I grew up with stud cattle, so combining my passion for stud stock genetics, plus being a people person, I figured agency was a way to connect the two," he said.

"All the clients we deal with are different with various goals and reasons behind why they do what they do. I love getting to know their operations and understanding how I can help them achieve their goals."

This will be Matthew's first time in the NSW finals and he's been liaising with mentors to help improve his skills at the rostrum.

"I realise I still have a million things to learn when it comes to stud stock, but I'm keen to develop my knowledge and skills while learning from respected people in the industry," he said.

When not studying the next stud sale catalogue, he enjoys sport and spending time at the family property near Glen Innes.

AN AGENT with six years' experience, Hamish is excited about getting the opportunity to experience the Sydney finals again this year.

Hamish has worked in the Coonabarabran district for the past three years building up a client base for Davidson Cameron.

"I started with the company in Tamworth, where I grew up, but when I was offered the chance to move to Coonabarabran, I took it," he said. "I've enjoyed getting involved with the local community."

He's even bought a house in the district, indicating his intention to stay in the longer term.

"One day I'd like to be a shareholder in Davidson Cameron," he said.

Hamish gets most of his auctioneering practice at the Gunnedah sales and he's been paying particular attention, in the lead-up to the competition, to ensuring his voice comes across clear and confident.

Away from work, Hamish maintains his link to the beef industry by breeding crossbred cattle.

THIS will be Joshua's first time selling at the Sydney rostrum, but he's been getting plenty of ring selling practice at the Moss Vale and Camden saleyards in recent months.

"I've been selling as much as I can in preparation for the finals and trying to fine-tune my breathing and remembering to take a second to ensure I'm not selling too fast and missing things," he said.

Joshua grew up on a stud cattle property and he said being involved with the farm and having an interest in livestock marketing meant following a career as a livestock agent was a natural progression.

Since becoming an agent, he's enjoyed getting to know clients and building strong relationships with people across the industry.

"I really enjoy following the marketing process right the way through - from seeing the cattle on farm, promoting them before sale day and then doing the auctioneering to get a good price."

Fishing and hunting tend to occupy Joshua's time when he is not at work.

JACK has been an agent for three years and took up auctioneering two years ago.

He said developing the skills of auctioneering had helped him find his feet and build his confidence.

He sells at Carcoar cattle sale on Tuesday and Cowra lamb sale on Wednesday.

Jack entered the agency industry to be involved in agriculture and said he now enjoys developing client relationships.

"Every day is different with this career and one day you might be working with cattle and the next day with sheep - I really enjoy the variety," he said.

To help prepare for the competition in Sydney, Jack has found it useful to record himself on sale day when auctioneering and then listen back to it later.

"You pick up on all the little things you may have missed or not realised you were doing when you listen back to the recording," he said.

"It's really helped me improve over time."

His time away from work is spent playing rugby league and water sports.

DARCY will step onto the Sydney rostrum for the second time, having competed in the finals in 2022.

Now with a bit more experience under his belt, he is excited to get the opportunity to sell in front of such a large crowd of not just rural people, but fellow agents from far and wide.

He is also keen to put on a professional performance for the city folk at the Sydney Royal Show who may be seeing a cattle auction for the first time.

"I feel much more prepared this time and in the lead-up to the competition, I've been getting in as much practice as I can selling at Forbes saleyards," he said.

He said knowing what the livestock are worth was one of the things he had been fine-tuning, not just for the competition, but day to day in the course of his job.

Darcy said the relationships he'd developed since becoming an agent was one of the things he enjoyed most about the job.

"Some of those people have become my best friends and I really value that as I look to developing my career," he said.

JACOB has been auctioneering for about 18 months, but he said that's really ramped up in the past 12 months as he is keen to develop his skills. He said he loves so many aspects of the job, but auctioneering is his focus at the moment.

The Wagga cattle and sheep sales are his main outlet to practice his craft.

"It took a while for me to get used to the ring selling of the cattle at Wagga," he said.

Jacob's been an agent for three years, having grabbed with both hands the opportunity to work for Elders.

He said dealing with farmers was one of the most enjoyable parts of his day, plus the fact that every day was different.

"Meeting, and even at times exceeding, a client's expectations when I market their livestock is a rewarding part of the job," he said.

Jacob said his 10-year plan has a focus on developing his client relationships and the Elders business around Wagga and Narrandera.

To relax after work, Jacob enjoys playing Aussie rules and water skiing.

THIS year will be the second time Henry has competed in the state finals and, since he now knows what to expect, he's been getting in as much practice as he can.

He sells at Carcoar saleyards - cattle on Tuesday and lambs on Wednesday.

Henry's been an agent/auctioneer for three years.

"My father is an agent, so for as far back as I can remember, I enjoyed going with him to work," he said.

That's what drew Henry to the profession, but he said meeting the marketing goals for his clients was the thing that he now enjoyed most about the job.

"I also enjoy being able to add value to a client's operation through the work that I do," he said.

Henry enjoys the theatre of auctioneering and, while up on the catwalk, being in control of the transaction.

His focus when preparing for the competition has been on honest and open selling while keeping a clear voice.

In the next decade, he wants to be a director of an agency, he said.

In his spare time, Henry enjoys water skiing.

A PASSION for the industry meant Jack left school at 17 to pursue a career as a stock and station agent.

It's a decision that's paid dividends as he's already got three solid years of agency experience even though he's the youngest auctioneer in this year's final.

Jack said a highlight of his job was working with people and the range of connections he gets to make.

Jack joined the family business and he said it's been a privilege to be able to learn the ropes that way.

"I don't want to give all my secrets away, but the coaching for the competition from Paul Breen and my father Luke Whitty has really helped," he said.

Jack describes his selling style as "intense and enthusiastic" and he likes to sell at a fast pace. "I might not have the polish of some other auctioneers, but I aim to fight for every last dollar when selling," he said.

When not juggling on-farm visits and days at the saleyards, Jack enjoys playing cricket, rugby and water skiing.