Emerald agent wins Queensland 2024 Young Auctioneers title

Emerald stock agent Matthew Pearce has been crowned as the 2024 Australian Livestock and Property Agents (ALPA) Queensland Young Auctioneers Competition winner during the opening stages of Brisbane’s Royal Queensland Show.

Taking on the Ekka centre ring, 11 of Queensland's finest young auctioneers competed fiercely for the decorated title.

The contestants came from all corners of the Sunshine State. Ultimately, Mr Pearce, branch manager for GDL Rural Emerald and AuctionsPlus cattle assessor, emerged victorious.

Mr Pearce won the Queensland Country Life Shield, the Don Steele AM Cup, $500 cash, and a spot in the 2025 ALPA National Young Auctioneers Competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

In a close contest, Dustyn Fitzgerald from Queensland Rural, Charters Towers, was the runner-up.

2024 ALPA Queensland Young Auctioneers Competition finalists:

• Jack Dougherty, Elders Rural Services, Dalby

• Sterling George, GDL Rural, Blackall

• Charlie Gleeson, Watkins & Company, Roma

• Jack Hannah, GDL Rural, Miles

• Patrick Luck, Kennedy Livestock & Property, Clermont 

• Jesse McCutcheon, Ray White Rural, Roma

• Sam Moy, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Rockhampton

• Justin Rohde, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Emerald

• Patrick Sullivan, Sullivan Livestock & Rural Services, Gympie

Mr Pearce and Mr Fitzgerald will represent Queensland at the 2025 ALPA Young Auctioneers Competition National Final, held at the Sydney Royal Easter Show next year.

In its 35^th year this competition once again spotlighted the talents of young professionals from rural Queensland through a memorable display of livestock auctioneering.

Given the age restriction to under 25 years of age, the young agents had to find an extra point of difference in their subject matter expertise, knowledge of breed and confirmation, ability to engender buyer competition as well as their ability to display a polished rural sophisticated delivery.

Three highly credentialed judges were selected to score each competitor, evaluating their presentation, delivery, diction, voice, manner, knowledge of values as well as their unique command and style in keeping with ALPA’s well documented judging criteria.

ALPA CEO Peter Baldwin said, “as a lifetime agent, I could not be prouder of the 11 young competitors today who were great ambassadors for our illustrious industry, and through their performance showed just why auctioneering is not only a laudable profession, but it is the panacea for gaining the truest measure of price”.

The young agents cemented their position as the state’s finalist at the ALPA Queensland Auctioneer School in Rockhampton earlier this year in June.

The two-day auctioneer school attracted almost 40 attendees to CQLX, with 13 eligible for a position in the coveted competition.

“At the auctioneer school we reinforced the principles of humility, personal pride and individuality, product knowledge, respect for industry peers and then we honed the skills of the attendees in the finer and even most basic aspects of precision livestock auctioneering”, Mr Baldwin said.

Mr Baldwin believes the combination of specialised inter firm training, on the job selling at saleyards and refinement at our ALPA schools is the perfect model for developing the careers of these young enthusiastic women and men.

“We can safely say that the future of our industry is looking very exciting”, Mr Baldwin said.

ALPA represents more than 1200 livestock, wool, and rural property agency businesses across Australia.