WINNER of the 2013 Australian Livestock and Property Agents Association (ALPA) young auctioneer competition, Justin Higgins, Elders Roma, was back at work last Tuesday selling to a tough market.
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One of 10 finalists in the competition, Justin says he relished the experience of travelling to the Royal Queensland Show.
"Even though it was my second year in the competition, I feel like I've gained a lot of experience and confidence on the catwalk," Mr Higgins said.
"In the lead-up to the final we were given speech therapy to help us with our breathing during selling. You realise all the things you were doing wrong and are given the opportunity to improve on your technique - it's great."
At just 24 years of age, Mr Higgins holds his Pastoral House Auctioneers licence and sells twice weekly at the Roma yards.
"I've been selling at Roma for two years now and I'm still learning new things each time.
"Auctioning is definitely a passion of mine and achieving the best result for our vendors is always at the forefront of my mind when going into a sale."
Mr Higgins said there was plenty of time to practise for the final competition with bigger numbers of cattle coming onto the market during the dry season.
"The competition is very different to what I usually do each week.
"I'm used to seeing the same buyers and vendors and then going into the Ekka you have such a big crowd or strangers, it was definitely daunting - it takes you out of your comfort zone."
Currently in a stock salesman role, Mr Higgins said he hoped to one day become a livestock manager.
"The ALPA competition has been a great experience and I'm looking forward to travelling to Sydney in April next year to compete at a national level."
