Back in early 1980, Lynn Vandersee had the privilege of delivering Queensland’s first official cattle sale market report.
The establishment of independent livestock sale reporting by the Queensland Meat Industry Organisation and Marketing Authority, saw Mr Vandersee hired to bring livestock producers’ reports on our state’s local commercial cattle auctions.
Mr Vandersee quickly became fondly known to many people across regional and rural Queensland as he provided cattle market reports for newspapers, on ABC local radio and the Queensland Country Hour radio program, plus WIN television news.
“Back in those days Toowoomba would have three cattle sales a week and Dalby had both weekly cattle and sheep sales,” he said.
“To be perfectly honest I can’t remember the exact date I started doing the market reports, but I know it was 1980.
“I was the first ever livestock market reporter in Queensland and I was very nervous giving my first Toowoomba cattle sale report on the radio program.”
Mr Vandersee saw the job advertisement for a Queensland cattle market reporter in his local newspaper and applied for the position thinking he would just ‘give it a shot’.
“I was fairly surprised I got the job, but it was straight into reporting with Toowoomba’s cattle sale being the first official cattle market report put out for Queensland livestock producers and stakeholders,” he said.
“I remember doing 10,000 head yardings of cattle at Toowoomba’s cattle sales.
“Back then there was also a cattle sale at Cannon Hill near Brisbane as well.
“I once reported on 12,000 head of cattle being sold in one week at Cannon Hill, Toowoomba, and Dalby cattle sales.”
Mr Vandersee said his love of the cattle industry always inspired him as a livestock market reporter.
“I really prided myself on being able to see a pen of cattle and know where they came from and who owned them before the auctioneer announced it,” he said.
“From a very young age I had a love of cattle and as a child I individually knew each of my family’s 140 dairy cattle.
Mr Vandersee finished market reporting in 1992 and officially retired in 2004.
The biggest industry change Mr Vandersee has seen over the years has been a large growth in Queensland’s feedlot sector.
“A lot more people are putting cattle into feedlots these days, and I also think more cattle are being consigned direct to works than back when I was reporting on the livestock markets,” he said.
