THE rising profile of women in the stock agent industry will be clear at the largest bull sale in the southern hemisphere, Rockhampton Brahman Week, next Monday when Georgie Connor steps onto the auctioneer's box to call bids at the Central Queensland Livestock Exchange (CQLX). This role is something that is not new to Ms Connor, as has she had been taking bids from the auctioneer's rostrum for the past two years. It will be a fitting occasion in the lead up to International Rural Women's Day on October 15, for Ms Connor, who works with SBB/GDL Rockhampton. She said despite the unique role she will play, her primary focus was helping sell the 860 Red and Grey Brahman bulls that will go under the hammer at the Rockhampton Brahman Week Sale, from October 5 to 7. "There is a strong representation of potential stud sires, they are sprinkled right throughout the catalogue, which is a great thing to help the sale keep momentum the whole way through," Ms Connor said. Her new career began in 2018 when, after helping to run a successful commercial cattle competition, which broke records for entries at Beef Australia, two agents offered her a job - it caught her off guard as she had never considered being an agent. "When Damien Freney from Savage Barker Backhouse and Peter Daniel from GDL employed me, they gave me a rope and told me to run with it," Ms Connor said. "When I stepped over to the other side, and was in the auctioneer's box calling bids, I did feel as though the industry was watching. "My advice to young women interested in a career like mine is to be hungry and humble. "I find it so rewarding when a client sets goals before their sale and we are then able to help them meet those goals, or even exceed them." Ms Connor began her career with SBB/GDL behind the lens of a camera, as a specialist stud stock representative. However, it was not too long before her vast livestock knowledge and experience, which began while being raised on a cattle property near Baralaba, saw her role swiftly expand to both stud and commercial livestock sales. "I can remember Damien saying he wanted me to take photos, 'and along the way, Georgie, you will get us some cattle'." MS Connor said the time she still spends behind the lens photographing stud stock ideally positions her to advise clients on where they can source the cattle they need. "When I get a call from a beef producer wanting to know if I have seen any good bulls around, I can rattle off a full list that I have personally been in the yards with that will fit exactly within their type and herd breeding goals," she said. "I think women's contribution to the cattle industry is being recognised, and International Rural Women's Day is the perfect time to reflect on that," she said. With demand running fierce for quality livestock this season, Ms Connor predicted this year's Rockhampton Brahman Week Sale would achieve tremendous results. Last year, the sale grossed more than $8.5 million and averaged more than $10,000. The bell ringer was Mt Callan Scully, a Red Brahman, that made the top price of $105,000. This season's bidding action begins on Monday, October 5 with the full run of Grey bulls, before switching to the Red line up from Tuesday afternoon. Full COVID-19 restrictions are in place at the yards, including single-lane foot traffic around the pens and social distancing, to ensure all vendors and buyers remain safe.