AWN at The Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre

At the Wagga Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre, the rising Thursday morning sun does little to penetrate the thick layer of fog that envelops the Riverina based sheep selling centre. Stock rattles clatter and pen gates clang throughout the centre as livestock agents draft and pen over 41,000 head of lambs for the sale set to begin at 8am.

Leash Ruskin of AWN Wilks McKean stands still next to a pen of crossbred lambs. She waits for direction from Co-Director and Head Auctioneer Joe Wilks as to where the pen of fifty should be re-allocated.

“We’ll be moving lambs in and out of pens for the rest of the morning right up to five minutes prior to our sale start time,” says Leash who although her job title is listed as Office Manager, really is a jill of all trades for the AWN Wilks McKean team. When she’s not in the office, processing sales, market reports and all other day-to-day administration tasks for the team, she’s down here in the yards penning up and clerking the sale.

“You’ve got to love this job to be able to survive in this industry,” says Leash. “The hours are long, and the work in the saleyards has to be done regardless of if it’s raining or a 40-degree day.”

Eventually Joe’s booming voice can be heard over the UHF that sits on the side pocket of her jeans, and she walks the lambs up the aisle towards Stockman and Saleyard Coordinator Abbro Woolnough. Abbro stands next to the designated pen and closes and latches the gate in one swift movement once all fifty are in the pen. Meanwhile, fellow saleyard employee Ronan Crain walks another mob of fifty in the opposite direction with his dog Pepper quietly patrolling behind him.

At the five minute warning to 8am, “sale-o sale-o” echoes through the centre’s megaphones. The centre processes approximately 1.8 million sheep annually, with close to 11,000 head of sheep being sold per hour.

As quick as a flash, pen after pen is sold by Joe. “I’ve got hoggets, big strong hoggets and they’re right on the go too.” Without any pause, Joe launches into the auction pointing as bidders contest to buy the pen of hoggets that are on display. They sell for $135 per head. Sale done, he claps his hands and moves on to the next pen. Seven minutes later, all 1,700 head of lamb penned up by AWN Wilks McKean have been sold. The pens are emptied as the sheep are ushered towards the delivery agents. But the day isn’t over yet. It’s only just beginning; the mutton sale is next. And so, the process begins again for this team of four.