ELDERS Livestock is enjoying a boost of youth and energy in Corrigin, Moora and the Kimberley with three young women donning the pink shirt as the latest territory sales managers in those areas.
Kate Varis, Ashley Marsh and Carly Longmuir are the new girls on the block, bringing their livestock backgrounds and plenty of enthusiasm to the Elders team.
Elders state livestock manager Geoff Shipp said the company was glad to welcome the new team members.
“It is fantastic to be welcoming some young women into livestock roles at Elders,” Geoff said.
“They will bring their personable and friendly approach to their roles, not to mention their talent.
“There are a lot of talented women out there and Elders as a company made a conscious decision to try to attract women to roles that have traditionally been dominated by men.
“So it was wonderful to have Kate, Ashley and Carly apply for the roles when they came up and by succeeding in the application process as the best applicants for the job, these three young women can hopefully show to others that we’re eager to encourage more and more women to have the confidence to apply for livestock roles at Elders.
“We’re very proud to have them and they’re doing an excellent job so far.”
For Ashley Marsh, the newest face at Elders Moora, signing up with Elders was the only option.
“I didn’t have it in me to go anywhere else – I’m a one-eyed Elders person,” she said.
Ashley joined in September last year and said the welcome to the team has been wonderful.
“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” she said.
“In particular Dean Hubbard and Patrick Hannagan have been fantastic showing me the ropes and if it wasn’t for people like them I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.
“They’ve helped with everything from assessing livestock to helping producers get the best outcome for their livestock.”
Ashley is covering the area around Moora from as far south as Bindoon, all the way up to Warradarge and said she’s enjoying the challenge.
When it comes to building up a client base she said it is a matter of perseverance.
“I think if I just continue to pride myself on dealing as honestly as I can with clients and continue to improve, that trust will come,” she said.
“I want to always be broadening my horizons and doing my best by the client.
“Livestock is my passion, the industry is unique and I’m forever learning – that’s what I love about my job.”
Kate Varis is Corrigin’s new stockie and it’s no different for her on the passion for livestock.
“I grew up with stock so I’ve always enjoyed and been confident working with them,” she said.
“I had encouragement when I needed it, particularly from Bill Kessell at Elders, who gave me that added confidence to realise I could have a shot at a role like this.
“He had that belief in me and here I am.”
Kate covers the area around Corrigin from Quairading out to Hyden, Kondinin and Kulin and said the community there had been welcoming.
“It’s a social district which is great,” she said.
“On the business side of things there is a lot of loyalty there as well, which is nice to see, but it does sometimes make it harder to get set up.
“That will come with time and I think people are happy to have a young face around the place so I’m confident about moving forward.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of getting the Elders name out there a bit more in our area.”
Up in the Kimberley, Carly Longmuir is establishing herself as the new face at Elders after starting with the company in April.
Carly said her passion for livestock and the north of WA drove her to apply for the role based in Derby, covering as far north as Kununurra and down into the Pilbara.
“I grew up with sheep so it has been a bit of a learning curve going into cattle but my colleagues at Elders up here have been fantastic with advice and they are always happy to answer questions,” Carly said.
“But in terms of prices and markets, sheep and cattle do operate in a relatively similar way, so I had a handle on those aspects of the job early on because I understood live export and domestic livestock markets coming into the job.
“The challenge has been getting my eye in and the transition between sheep to cattle, but I’m loving the job so far.”
Carly said she was also looking forward to getting more of a look at station life.
“I’m really interested in understanding how stations are run so I’m excited to get a closer look at how those enterprises operate,” she said.
“Generally, I’m looking forward to continue learning and working towards expanding the future of Elders in the northern region of WA.”
There are more opportunities available at Elders for young people keen for a life in a red shirt with traineeship applications opening online last week.
More information: visit elders.com.au. To see Ashley, Kate or Carly, keep an eye out for them at upcoming sales and events, or contact Ashley, Elders Moora, on 0438 421 416; Kate, Elders Corrigin, 0407 703 127; and Carly, Elders Kimberley, on 0438 215 927.
