By Linda Mantova, photos by Rockstar Brahmans and Brahrock Brahmans

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Gympie Brahman Female Sale which is being held on Saturday, June 7, at the Gympie Saleyards.

Always conducted on the first Saturday in June, this year’s event will be a celebration of this amazing achievement, kicking off at 9.30am with 37 vendors offering 126 females, as well as 10 embryo packages.

As the Australian Brahman Breeders’ Association’s (ABBA) only sponsored registered female sale, the 50th sale will see quality females from some of the country’s premier Brahman studs on offer.

Organisers of the sale are the South Queensland branch of ABBA, with branch chairman, David Harch, looking forward to another great display of the strength of the Brahman breed.

“It has certainly become a top end female sale with plenty of heifers that are well-bred,” he said.

“There are a lot of great genetics in the catalogue, with many fresh newer genetics coming in all the time. There are plenty of heifers for all sorts of buyers, depending on your requirements.”

Mr Harch said vendors were coming from Bowen, Queensland to Grafton, New South Wales, with both red and grey heifers on offer.

He said vendor numbers were up this year, including a few new to the sale.

“We are certainly encouraging those new vendors and wishing them well, and hope everyone has a great outcome.”

Long-time vendor and sale chairman, Royce Sommerfeld, of Brahrock Brahmans, Maryborough, looked back on his involvement in the sale since its inception, and all the outstanding Brahman females he has seen go through the ring.

Mr Sommerfeld said he first sold cattle at the Gympie Female sale in 1979, and has been doing so ever since.

He recalls fondly inspecting cattle for prospective vendors for more than four decades with the likes of sale stalwarts, Percy Bishop and Graham Bower.

“We used to go out and inspect the heifers out in the paddock, and recommend to vendors what they should do, if there’s any that shouldn’t come, or to feed them up to get them up to scratch for the sale. We used to just advise them up to that stage,” Mr Sommerfeld said.

“We had to make sure the cattle were good quality, and I did that right up until last year,” he said.

“I’ve seen a lot of quality cattle go through that sale and that’s why it’s noted as a prestige sale now. We want the best of the best, and that’s what we’ve tried to achieve.”

Mr Sommerfeld said he would be selling his “normal” amount again this year, with 26 heifers in his draft.

Topping the sale on many occasions, he said 2023 stood out in his memory, as he sold two heifers for the equal top price of $55,000.

“In the early days there wasn’t that sort of money about.”

At 86, he will again be sitting in the stands on June 7, watching over the sale and cheering on his draft of quality heifers.

Mr Harch said they were excited to be hosting the 50th sale, and would have memorabilia erected including old photos etc.

“The sale has been very well supported, and we are lucky that it has been developed by members over the years. We appreciate that as a branch and as a society.”

Brahman beef is on the menu for the official barbecue dinner hosted by the South Queensland branch, on Friday, June 6.

“Our sale event starts the Friday afternoon before the sale with a pre-sale walk through followed by a social event including drinks and barbecue allowing an opportunity for vendors, buyers and sponsors to come together,” Mr Harch said.