Matawhero Cattle Fair

Buyers from the Manawatu, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, and the Waikato were among those who bid for cattle at the Matawhero Cattle Fair on August 24 and 25, when between 8000 and 9000 head were put up for auction.

But values were down from 10/- to £3 a head, and many lines were not sold. The reluctance of buyers was put down to a shortage of feed at the time of the sale.

Yearling steers sold at around £16, with top price at £23. Two-year-olds averaged £24 or £25, with £29 as the highest price.

Our photographs were taken on the first day of the sale, which is one of the largest in the North Island. They show cattle in the pens, being sold under the hammer, and in the draughting-out yards. About 6000 head of male cattle were in the pens this day, some of which are shown at right. The casual visitor is impressed by the acres of cattle on display, and wonders how anyone can keep track of them all.

Tired expression on face of this dog (below) reflects general feeling of all concerned by the time the fair nears its end.

Auctioneers and their offsiders line rail on one side of pen of cattle, while buyers.

On other side, adopt the studied indifference of bidders who are no longer interested. In this case stock is being auctioned by Barry Gordon (Williams and Kettle), shown in top picture at far end of line. Dalgety's men (nearest to camera) include Frank Gordon (see Golf elsewhere in this issue) and D. J. Wedd, of Hastings (facing camera), who came up to lend a hand at the sale.

Faced by ring of lukewarm buyers, the auctioneers do their best to raise a bid above the £18 mark for a pen of Aberdeen Angas yearlings. They are (left to right) Dalgety's local auctioneer, Ian Bonifant, with D. J. Wedd and F. Gordon.

Brown and white. Two Herefords survey the cameraman with a dispassionate eye.

Mud is enemy of all workers at Matawhero yards. A little rain and a lot of cattle can make conditions unpleasant in a short time. This horseman ploughs through foot-deep mud to round up a bunch of steers bound for Rotorua.

A consignment of Hereford steers moves down the trucking race for loading.

Oblivious of the distant shouts of auctioneers calling for bids, this tired, mud-caked dog snatches forty winks in the corner of an unused pen, while his workmate, the horse, drowses over him. Their day started early, ended late.

A general view of the draughting-out yards, where sold cattle are sorted and moved off to the railway yards or by road to local destinations. Matawhero railway station handles second largest quantity of stock in New Zealand.

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The Gisborne Photo News

No 4 : September 16, 1954

Matawhero Cattle Fair