A LARGE crowd was at the Manjimup cattle sale last week, drawn by the fundraising effort for the Beau Chatley Recovery Fund.
Local, and not so local, cattlemen were generous in donating 18 animals to raise money.
Agents' commissions, yard fees and even the government waived scanning fees enabling every cent raised to go to the recovery fund.
While all donations deserve a mention, special mention goes to Mal Phillips who organised the effort and further assisted by trucking some cattle to the sale for people, as well as donating an animal himself.
Those further afield to supply cattle included Ross and Lynette Fraser, Chowerup, who saw their steer raise $1680.
Matt and Felicity Della Gola, Tone Bridge, supplied an aged bull that made $2156 while near neighbours R & H Turner sent in a Lincoln Red steer making $1136.
Mayfield Park sent in a cow that sold for $1770 with Joe Bendotti and Gandy Timbers selling aged bulls for $2035 and $1969 respectively.
A great cutting cow from AV Kelly made the top cow price of the day when selling at 240c/kg bought by Western Meat Packers (WMP).
Helping lift the gross raised were Mathew Hettner, G Kilrain, AD Mathews, AJ Ryan & Sons, CE Fink, G & B Bendotti, JD Phillips, Flybrook Angus and Jarnadup Investments.
All up, more than $27,000 was raised, which is badly needed.
Also contributing strongly to the cause was WMP buyer Greg Jones who bought most of the killable cattle, with John Stoiche, bidding for Harvey Beef, ensuring top prices were paid.
With cattle from clients of all agents, it was determined that Primaries auctioneer Neil Foale, as the senior auctioneer, would sell all the donated cattle.
The total numbers at the sale were 194 with few cattle suitable for the trade penned.
Values generally held, depending on types, with some dearer and others slightly easier than the previous sale.
Beef steers topped at $1680 and 328c/kg while beef heifers reached $1782 and 310c/kg.
Lightweight bulls were erratic, although one pen sold for a creditable 346c/kg.
Generally, these were cheaper, with no live export interest.
Beef cows were stronger, topping at $1770 with a good cutting cow selling for 240c/kg.
Heavy processor bulls sold consistently from 200 to 220c/kg.
Following on from the donated cattle, Greg Jones was a strong contender, buying for Johnson Meats and snapping up the beef steers from Flybrook Angus.
An Angus steer of 570kg cost $1448 at 254c/kg, followed by 10 Charolais weighing 465kg for $1460 and 314c/kg.
Six Angus weighing 480kg sold for $1478 and 308c/kg.
Two Hereford steers from VA Blechynden weighed 497kg and joined the Flybrook steers when they made $1463 at 294c/kg, in the Landmark section.
Kevin Armstrong was another active bidder, buying steers for RA Rogers & Co to $1090 and 328c/kg.
The top-priced bull was a Hereford from VA Blechynden weighing 1080kg that sold to WMP for $2160 and 200c/kg.
Elders' run started with two Angus steers of 357kg that were bought for RA Rogers at $1115 and 312c/kg.
Two bulls of 287kg were sold to Dairydale, Capel, for $862 and 300c/kg with both pens sold by Killarney Instant Lawn.
Two empty Simmental heifers from F Pessotto & Sons weighed 640kg, selling to WMP for $1472 and 230c/kg.
A Simmental bull weighing 985kg from J & Y Dimitriou & Sons went to WMP at $2068.
The Dimitrious also sold a cow for $1260 to WMP.
Primaries had half of the day's cattle in their catalogue, helped by 19 pens from the Hettner family after a massive muster on the Brunswick property.
A line of Angus heifers from AJ & WJ Ryan & Co were the first offered with the 538kg females selling to Johnson Meats for $1259 and 234c/kg.
Another six of the Ryan females weighed 447kg with these costing Johnson Meats $1072 at 240c/kg.
A sleek Friesian steer sold by WD & IM Phillips, Manjimup, weighing 480kg and returning $1200 at 250c/kg when bought by S & S Stoiche.
An older Murray Grey steer was first offered in the Hettner offering weighing 505kg with G & C Stoiche, Manjimup, bidding to 270c/kg and $1363.
The next pen of three at 400kg joined them when they also sold for 270c/kg to return $1080.
Rob Gibbings, Elders Capel, snapped up a pen of four steers weighing 311kg for Dairydale, paying $934 at 300c/kg.
Several pens of Murray Grey bulls were bought for Johnson Meats, weighing from 278kg to 347kg to average around 280c/kg and a top of $903.
Two exceptions were one with a surly outlook and weighing 425kg bought by S & S Stoiche for $850 and 200c/kg with a line of eight weighing 187kg going to Johnson Meats at 346c/kg and $646.
The best of the Hettner heifers sold to Harcourt Smith, topping at $845 with another pen selling for 294c/kg.
