Steve Truman

This year’s Primac Gurus Annual General meeting will be held on the morning of this year’s reunion on Saturday the 28th October 2023 at the Club Hotel Roma, 42 McDowall Street, Roma. All financial members are invited to attend. Nomination of Office Bearers The current committee as per our charter is calling for nominations of

My early childhood days growing up in the South Burnett! I grew up on a farm in a dairying community at Brigooda in the South Burnett, our nearest town was Proston a hub of activity in it’s hey day. I went to a one teacher, one room, primary school, great memories of that. Unfortunately the

Taroom Branch 1988 – 1992 I started at Taroom office on the 20th March 1988, Jamie Long – Branch Manager, Shaun McGuingen- Merch/Stock, Racheal Frith- Admin and me stock salesman. A specialist merch guy was brought in a few months later (can’t think of his name) and Shaun became full-time Livestock. Shaun resigned a couple

Alan Walter Campbell, was born on 27 June 1880 at Apple Tree Gully, near Inverell, New South Wales, sixth of eleven children of John Campbell, a native-born station overseer, and his wife Mary Georgina, née McIntyre, from Scotland. The family moved to Bullerawa station in the Narrabri district where Alan was privately educated, mainly by

Childhood Born in 1930 to dairy farmers at Bowenville, I grew up milking cows every day before and after riding my trusty pony 4 miles to school and back. My dad William was a returned soldier from WWI and was an invalid from the war, so I was the man of the house from a

It started in Townsville I started in Townsville in approximately 1972 . Jim McIntosh was the Livestock Manager and good person to learn under. First stint at Mackay Ken Hinton was the manager and a gentleman. After the cattle crash when QPP put staff off, Ken rang me in Western Australia, where I was working

Early Career 1962 – 1965 On completion of senior, my first job was as a Jackeroo at Cunnamulla. I arrived at ‘Victo’ in the wee hours of the morning on the Westlander in January 1962. ‘Victo’ was one of a number of properties owned by the Griffith family, owners of the Toowoomba Foundry, and was

Catching the Bush Bug At 9 or 10, I went to a family friends’ property at Goondiwindi for the holidays and thought it was just the best place. From then on, I spent most school holidays on friends’ properties at Goondiwindi, and later, Roma. I had caught the Bush bug and made the decision that

Tracing back the timelines and history of Primac Branches and Primac Gurus leads to a number of Private Agency businesses that where merged or acquired by either Mactaggarts or Primaries. One of those Businesses is Farmer & Clarke Stock Agents which had 6 branches and a number of staff who went on to have distinguished

What about livestock sale by description. I found the newspaper clipping below of the very first Primac teleauction sale. Remember John Higgins flying around the state with his TV crew. The first Primac Teleauction sale was held on the 7th March 1985. I can still remember John Erbacher doing a superb job, running the auction

Dan was then joined by his brother, John Mactaggart, in the business and they traded as Mactaggart Bros. Ltd. When Maryborough was linked by rail to Brisbane, Daniel Mactaggart and his brother opened a branch of Mactaggart Brothers Limited in the capital where the firm prospered. Photograph of a 17 year old Dan taken in

After school Walter spent several years working in a bank before entering the stock department of the growing Mactaggart’s business. Military Service His was a very early enlistment in the Australian Imperial Force on 21 August 1914. With regimental number 6, he joined 9th Infantry Battalion, was promoted to the rank of Sergeant a week

Upon returning to Queensland he took up a job as a jackeroo on ‘Bundooma’ station, on the Burnett River. Military Service On the 4th August 1916, aged 20 Dan enlisted with the AIF with rank of Gunner. His occupation was listed as “stockman’. His mother Mrs F R Mactaggart was listed as his next of

Then joined Mactaggarts, which was a short stay, but incredible experience and rubbed shoulders with some of the best in the industry. Started at HQ in Creek Street, Brisbane and spent a fair bit of time at Cannon Hill. Pig and sheep days with Bill Webb, and cattle days with Vic Barwick. After some time

I was lucky to obtain a position with Mactaggarts after an interview with the Branch Manager of Mitchell, Ross Tucker in late 1966. I started with Mactaggarts Stock Department on the 3/1/1967 when I was 21 years old. I had the usual crash course at Cannon Hill pig and calf and cattle sales. Baralaba Branch

Despite this I loved the work and the people involved and as I never achieved my dream of one day being able to afford my own place presumably like many other agents I wouldn’t have swapped my time as an agent with any other profession. Some of the dates are now a bit hazy but

I joined Goldsborough Mort in Gympie in 1962 just as they were amalgamating with Elder Smith. After stints in Gympie, Emerald, Biggenden, Beaudesert and back to Gympie. I accepted an invitation to join Thos Borthwicks Brisbane as senior livestock buyer and later Livestock Manager. My next move was to Primac Gympie auctioneering with Hendy and