Kelvin Hancey retires after 43-year career with Elders

Mr Hancey will hang up his hat and boots at the end of this month after starting with Elders at the beginning of June 1981.

He has enjoyed the opportunity given to him and in particular the cattle work.

"After 43 years I am really looking forward to new chapters and adventures on the South Coast of WA," Mr Hancey said.

"I am proud of where I've got to and the legacy I'm leaving and I'm absolutely confident I'm leaving the Elders Kimberley cattle business in good hands with Carly Longmuir and Jak Andrews taking the reins."

Mr Hancey's journey with Elders started as a clerk and merchandise officer at Wongan Hills when he was 17 years old and from there you could say he moved around WA a fair bit.

Over his years with Elders Mr Hancey moved from Moora (clerk) to Mullewa (livestock - sheep), back to Wongan Hills, to Goomalling, Kellerberrin, Pingelly, Narrogin, Southern Cross, Merredin, Geraldton (livestock - majority cattle) and eventually to Broome working in the pastoral cattle industry.

Mr Hancey said his past 17 years working in the Kimberley would have to be the highlight of his career.

"The highlights include transacting iconic and sizeable property settlements, almost $180 million worth of station property which included Fossil Downs, Jubilee Downs, Nerrima and Ruby Plains stations, alongside selling more than of 50,000 head of cattle every year and riding the highs and lows of the cattle market, and monsoonal seasons," Mr Hancey said.

"I've seen the best of it and the worst of it.

"It's also been nice to raise my family in Broome where both my kids attended Broome Senior High School."

The achievement Mr Hancey is most proud of was seeing the confidence people had in his ability.

"The role and location saw me going out to properties and acting on behalf of live exporters/processors when they couldn't be there in person which means you are having a lot of trust put in your livestock skills," Mr Hancey said.

"They would say they're chasing Brahman steers 270-370 kilograms and you had to pick it (the weight range) for them.

"From there they develop that confidence in you to draft cattle to specifications and deliver for them.

"That sort of eye for details meant they kept coming back and were prepared to give us orders time after time, that was quite rewarding.

"I would also say working with vendors who entrusted me enough to be involved with numerous large property sales including the likes of Annette and John Henwood (Fossil Downs) and we remain good friends to this day."

When it comes to memorable and comical moments in his career, Mr Hancey said with all people that reach 60 your memory seems to fade a bit but I do remember a recent trip out to Blina station.

"We were drafting some cows and we had a young ringer in the yards," he said.

"Some of the cows were getting a bit restless and I looked up to see this young ringer getting rubbed on steel yards.

"So a few of us headed straight over to help and by this stage it's looking as if he'd lost his leg somehow.

"I got closer towards him and he said, "that cow nearly got me, got my bloody leg".

"The look on his face was priceless - he had an artificial leg - I thought he'd been seriously injured but the joke was on me and we all had a good laugh."

For the next generation just starting out their careers in agriculture Mr Hancey has some good advice.

He said a long time ago a senior gentleman asked him if he knew what integrity meant and the gentlemen told him "it's doing the right thing when people aren't watching".

"When I stuck with that motto, I found every situation worked itself out," Mr Hancey said.

"When I was out drafting, I'd always try and do the right thing by the vendor and buyer and in the north, because of the isolation, it was critical that you stuck to that.

"That is how you should operate on your own fronts whether it's business or personal.

"It was one of the more memorable comments I've had from people that has stuck with me and something we could all learn from."

Elders State livestock and wool manager Dean Hubbard said Mr Hancey had been an extremely loyal Elders team member over a very significant and standout career journey with us.

"Kelvin has always been an extremely proud and strong and vocal advocate for Elders," Mr Hubbard said.

"During Kelvin's time with Elders he has built a significant and lofty industry profile.

"This profile now comes with a high level of respect from all of those within industry that have been the recipient of the high level of integrity and professional manner that Kelvin has conducted himself and his business dealings for and on behalf of industry.

"This respect level is given to Kelvin by the whole of industry, whether that be Kelvin's loyal and supportive client base or the buyers and live exporters and processors that Kelvin regularly interacts and engages with.

"To say Kelvin has been invaluable to our Kimberley business for a long period would be an understatement.

"Kelvin now leaves our Kimberley business in a very strong and well established position.

"Kelvin has always lived and breathed very strong core Elders values, these values he has now instilled and passed onto his colleagues.

"These strong values along Kelvin's career journey have served he and Elders extremely well.

"As a company we thank Kelvin for his outstanding and exemplary service and he now leaves a very strong legacy to our WA business.

"For all that Kelvin has done for team Elders we wish him and his family all the very best in all his future endeavours."