Article by Catherine Miller, Stock Journal, 25 Sep 2020
All clear for Paxton’s stud’s twilight sale
White Suffolks: 110/110 sold. Top $2500(x2) Av $1497
Poll Dorsets: 88/88 sold. Top $2200. Av 1620
Pocock Pastoral’s Simon Pocock and Angus Munro bought the $2500 top price rams at Paxton’s ram sale for their Western Flat property. They are with Paxton stud principals Kirsty and Martin Harvey. Photo: Stock Journal
THE averages climbed in both breeds at Paxton stud’s third annual White Suffolk and Poll Dorset twilight sale on Wednesday at Western Flat, as buyers raised their hands high for the high quality on offer.
Stud principals Martin and Kirsty Harvey achieved a full clearance of more than 200 rams, with buyer confidence no doubt buoyed by rain tumbling down outside the shed and the lift in lamb prices in the past month. Of the 42 registered bidders from the Mallee and South East only a couple went home empty handed.
Two White Suffolk rams hit $2500 each, both bought by Pocock Pastoral.
The May 2019 drops were lot 9, sired by Waratah 15058 and lot 10, a son of Days 13497.
Bidding lifted for lot 66 in the White Suffolk offering which the Harveys had donated to a great cause, an epic journey raising money for the Cancer Council. Brothers, David and Rob Will, Bangham, are participating in the Shitbox Rally driving their $1000 Ford Falcon between Mackay in Qld to Darwin in NT, in spring next year. Their motivation for undertaking the rally was losing their mother to cancer a couple of years ago.
The $1900 paid by NJ&MJ Watson, Lucindale, for the charity lot brings the tally that they have raised to well over $20,000, also receiving strong support from Upper South East businesses.
PPHS also contributed $1000 to their cause.
“Ali (Will) was such a lovely lady and such a big part of the community so when the boys asked us we jumped at it,” Mr Harvey said.
NJ&MJ Watson were easily the sale’s biggest volume buyer securing 27 White Suffolks for a $1667 average.
The average of the 88 Poll Dorsets was $1620, jumping $134 on 2019’s sale. But there were rams for all budgets with 18 rams in the $900 to $1000 price bracket.
PG&DP Will secured the $2200 highest price at lot 12 – a May 2019 drop son of Derrynock 14035 with a Terminal Carcase Production index of 142.1.
It was one of their three Poll Dorset buys, also selecting two rams at $2100.
The Wills also bought in the top end of the White Suffolk catalogue with four rams for a $2050 average.
PPH&S’s Ray Jaensch and Paxton stud’s Martin Harvey hold the charity ram with Shitbox Rally team members David Will and Rob Will (right) and Nigel Watson, Lucindale, who bought the $1900 ram.
Also among the volume buyers Duxton Broadacre Ag, Cadgee, took home 13 Poll Dorsets for a $1677 average and Brecon Props, Keith, secured 11 Poll Dorsets to $2100 twice, averaging $1991.
Mr Harvey said the family were “rapt” with the result, especially achieving a total clearance and a large increase in the number of registered bidders at the sale. “It was very pleasing considering the large number of rams on offer within 100 kilometres of here and the lamb job being solid without being spectacular,” he said. “It is quite hard to get new buyers and we got six or seven so that is really pleasing, and we were so pleased with such good local support.”
Spence Dix & Co auctioneer Luke Schreiber, who added up the bids with Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn Steen’s Josh Manser said there were plenty of high figured Poll Dorset rams which were also backed by good carcase shape. They sold accordingly. Mr Schreiber said the White Suffolks were also an outstanding run.
“When lot 109 and 110 ran in the ring you could see they could stand up in the top half of a lot of other catalogues so they have done a great job of not only getting them up but also breeding them,” he said. “People were still prepared to spend $1200 to $1500 right through to the end which showed that they weren’t far off their brothers at lot 2 and 3 etc.”
