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    Driscoll, McIllree and Dickinson auctioneer Will Schilling with his dog Paddy.

AgLife: Will Schilling shining in saleyard

Dimboola farmer and auctioneer Will Schilling has been named runner-up for an Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association award. 

Mr Schilling, an agent with Driscoll, McIllree and Dickinson, was attempting to win a major statewide competition against leading young industry contemporaries at Shepparton yesterday.

Mr Schilling was one of 10 finalists at Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association, ALPA, Victorian Young Auctioneers final at Shepparton Regional Saleyards yesterday.

He made the top 10 in the state based on an online training assessment carried out by the association in efforts to continue the long-running annual challenge.



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ALPA deferred the competition from September last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s a privilege to stand up for your company and get involved in this,” he said. 

Mr Schilling said had been working on farms for almost a decade before moving on to auctioneering. 

“I left school at 16 and have been around livestock and shearing ever since,” he said. 

“I’ve been an agent for three years now because I decided to think with my brain not my back.

“Stock prices are really good at the moment so it’s a good time to be in the industry.” 

Yesterday’s competition showcased the skills, enthusiasm and talents of young auctioneers in an authentic real-life auction of livestock.

ALPA chief executive Peter Baldwin said one of the association’s main objectives was to provide professional development, leadership and education programs to its members. 

He said the longevity of the ALPA young auctioneers competitions, now running for 31 years, was testament to the quality of training and education the association provided as well as the focus it shone on future leaders of the industry.

He added the event gave young professionals, whose ultimate aim was to be a great all-round agent, the chance to showcase the hard work they had put in to developing their auctioneering skills, with encouragement from their employers, across the Victorian rural landscape.

Traditionally, competitors attend an auctioneers school – the selection ground for the competition.

As part of a selection process during the COVID-19 lockdown, young auctioneers vying to enter the competition had to submit an unedited video of themselves leading an auction of three consecutive pens of cattle in their home-town selling centre. 

Online judging from an expert panel then led to selection of the 10 finalists. 

Finalists also competed for the Graham Lanyon Shield as part of competition yesterday.

The winner and runner-up have the opportunity to represent Victoria at the 2021 ALPA National Young Auctioneers Competition in Sydney at the Royal Easter Show on April 1.

Driscoll, McIllree and Dickinson auctioneer Will Schilling with his dog Paddy.

“The very thesis of the competition is recognition for the young members of our profession who underpin the future of the industry,” Mr Baldwin said.

“It provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the pride and passion these agents have for their industry, themselves, their employers and families.

“Historically a launching pad for bigger and better things, participation in the competition nourishes their enthusiasm and dedication towards developing their rare talent, in an ethical and businesslike way.”

Other finalists yesterday were Ryan Bajada, Elders Rural Services, Pakenham; Harrison Cozens, Kerr and Co Livestock, Hamilton; Cody Fogarty, AWN Shepparton; Jack Ginnane, Nutrien South Gippsland Livestock, Leongatha; Will Jennings, Paull and Scollard Nutrien, Barnawartha; Reiley Murtagh, Corcoran Parker, Wodonga; Billy Trinder, Nutrien, East Gippsland Livestock, Bairnsdale; James Wilson, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Bendigo; Matthew Wilson, Elders Rural Services, Pakenham.

 

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The entire February 24, 2021 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire February 24, 2021 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!