Cattle sale benefits McGrath Foundation

THANKS to the generosity of buyers at Friday’s Koonwarra store sale, the McGrath Foundation will gain almost $6000 towards Breast Care nurses who support those with breast cancer and their families.

Pink balloons enlivened the pens of 39 steers sold as part of the fundraising effort for the annual OMK Pink Stumps Day.

The cattle were purchased last year with the support of SEJ Leongatha and agisted to 30 different farmers from across the region, from Loch to Buffalo, Inverloch to Arawata and all points in between.

Kate Zuidema of Korumburra South agists a couple of the Pink Stumps Day cattle each year, with some of her younger cattle also having been purchased and distributed to other farms to be readied for the sale.

Before selling the five pens of Pink Stumps cattle, SEJ auctioneer James Kyle thanked all those who agisted them over the last year.

He began with the Zuidema’s bucket-reared steers bought by SEJ last year.

“I’d like everybody to please put everything else aside, the way the cattle industry and things are going at the moment, and put your best foot forward because it’s all going to a good cause,” James urged potential buyers. 

As well as the support of SEJ, and buyers, Amy expressed her appreciation to the Victorian Livestock Exchange at Koonwarra for donating its yard fee and chipping in $1,000 cash, and to Brian Jefferis for generously transporting the cattle to the saleyards for free.

With cattle prices currently well down, organisers considered holding onto the cattle longer, with concerns they may not make a profit in the current market.

Pink Stumps Day organiser Amy White was pleased with the $5,906 that will go to the cause.

While the OMK cattle sale raised over $45,000 towards the McGrath Foundation last year, Amy described that outcome as “extraordinary”.

“You wouldn’t normally make that much and we have been lucky the last three years; we’ve bought at the right time and the cattle market prices have just been going up and up and it’s got to go down at some stage,” Amy said.

“You’ve got to take the good with the bad, but $6,000 is still a decent amount to raise for charity.”

That will be just the tip of the iceberg, with OMK’s annual Pink Stumps match set to make a major boost to the fundraising total.