Paton Fitzsimons takes reins as Ray White Rural Livestock Manager

Blackall stock and station agent Paton Fitzsimons has just been appointed as the new Ray White Rural Livestock Manager Australia-wide.

Ray White Rural & Livestock Managing Director Stephen Nell said it was an exciting time in the livestock industry and Paton Fitzsimons will take over the reins from Bruce Birch in this important role from July 1, 2021.

“Paton will continue the work, initially started by Charlie Maher, to capitalise on opportunities to help grow your business and expand our livestock network. Bruce will remain as the co-Director of Ray White Rural New South Wales, based in Sydney and focusing on large scale rural sales and agribusiness transactions,” Mr Nell said.

“Our value proposition has never been greater and we’re attracting lots of new young members to our group which is great as we have the platform for them all to thrive.”

Mr Fitzsimons said it was “nothing short of an honour” to become the national Ray White Rural Livestock Manager. “The shoes of Charlie will always remain his own and unrivalled. Bruce’s shoes continue to leave a wonderful footprint in our livestock industry. The Ray White Rural & Livestock business is ready to be taken to the next level, there has never been a better time for expansion, Australia-wide,” Mr Fitzsimons said.

“To say the future looks bright for agriculture in Australia in the understatement of the century. The global and domestic desire for our products has never been brighter. From prime lambs at Evans Plains to export steers in Townsville, the competition in our current market place is unbelievable,” he said.

Born and raised in Bathurst NSW, after completing school a young Paton headed north, working on stations in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. He then drove cattle from the Gulf to The Channel Country of Queensland with a great old mate.

“My early days were definitely a great experience. It was during the off seasons that my life long obsession with saleyards started to take shape. Bathurst and Orange saleyards soon became a regular working place, with days becoming nights and nights becoming days, working as a contract stockman for Clifton Thompson Maher.”

He started his stock and station agency career in Coonamble western NSW in 1999.

“Wonderful wet winters resulted in prime cattle numbers flowing through the saleyards, prime lambs were also in plentiful supply. Moree and Walgett were also bases for me while working for Wesfarmers / Landmark,” Mr Fitzsimons said.

Around 15 years ago, he commenced work with Grant Daniel & Long, in Dalby, then he moved to Blackall in 2006. “The hunger and desire to run my own private stock and station agency was continuing to grow. It was in 2008 that I came on board with Ray White Rural and Livestock, then I purchased the business in Blackall with Andrew Turner in 2012,” he said.

“People regularly ask me: “what’s the biggest change you’ve witnessed as a stock agent over the years?”

“While many people will mention the technological advancements made in livestock and property sales, for me it’s much simpler, it’s the quality of stock we sell. The improvements in breeds, the improvements in genetics and the improvements in country development now provide us with a product that is the envy of the world.

“The advancements in technological platforms used for selling our rural commodities are incredible and ever changing. However the foundation of a successful stock and station agency has never changed in my eyes, and that is: relationships with our clients, working hard, talking with them, paying them on time and guaranteeing their payment. Those fundamentals will never change.”

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Alex Tilbury
Ray White National Media
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