During the years of COVID lockdowns, Tom Reynolds pretended to auction toys and toilet paper in videos to break the boredom.
Now 15, he has won a young auctioneer competition at the Ganmain Show in southern New South Wales.
“You sort of have to be a showman — it’s not just selling,” Tom said.
“You’re kind of acting up there, as well, and I try to draw the crowd in.”
Tom’s interest in being an auctioneer grew from visiting the livestock sales with his parents and it’s something he aims to make a career of.
“Hopefully I’ll be an auctioneer at one of the bigger agencies in Wagga or a stud stock auctioneer,” he said.
“It’s just been something I’ve always been interested in, watching and doing — so I figured, might as well do a job that I like.”
‘Extreme public speaking’
Competitor Indigo Dawson, from Wagga Wagga, described auctioneering as “extreme public speaking”.
“You have to have all your maths right — you have to remember all your bids, where they’re at,” she said.
“Just rocking up in front of a crowd, you don’t know how many people are out there, and it’s just nerve wracking.”
Grace Routley from Urana won the novice section of the competition and would like to see more women wielding the gavel.
“I’d love to see more women in the agriculture industry and it’s a bit hard because some men trying to push you down,” she said.
“I’ve gained public speaking experience and a lot more confidence in myself, knowing that I can do it.”
‘Showed a lot of passion’
The competition involved students from six Riverina high schools, who worked with livestock agents to learn the finer points of being an auctioneer.
Agent Joe Wilks said the program had multiple benefits that would serve the youngsters well in the industry and other fields.
“They all showed a lot of passion out here this morning and knowledge of the livestock that they were selling,” he said.
“The ag industry can be tough at times and you need a lot of confidence and self-belief.
“Any sort of job — the public speaking and the confidence that the auctioneering can build for these kids I think is absolutely beneficial.”
Despite the growth in online platforms for selling livestock, Mr Wilks believes there will always be a place for a good auctioneer.
“When things are good, seasons are right and prices are right, the online platforms work really well,” he said.
“When seasons bite and things get tough, that’s when auctioneers really start to shine, because when numbers lift and demand is not quite there, we still find an outlet and a way to sell those stock at a at a fairly reasonable price.”
Posted , updated
