CASTERTON’S world-renowned premier Australian working dog auction is at risk of folding after more than 25 years, with a convenor yet to be found for the event in 2023.

With the annual Kelpie Muster set to go ahead on the June long weekend, the Casterton Kelpie Association is desperately seeking an overseer for the auction.

Former auction chairman and association member, John Matthews said the event was a great opportunity for a young person to play a major role in an international event.

“It sounds daunting, but all the different aspects of the auction are already in play … it’s been refined over 25 years, all the activities and admin is in train,” he said.

“Giles Kent and his team do a great job co-ordinating our infrastructure requirements, Sharon McGrath has got the catering sorted, the boys know what they’re doing running the demonstrations,” Mr Matthews said.

“The convenor’s role is to be the pivotal point between all of those people and to be a contact point for the vendors and buyers … along with regional support, we have buyer interest both nationally and internationally, from places like New Zealand, the US and the UK.

“And this role has the full support of the committee, some of us have been there from day dot, so there’s plenty of experience and information to draw from.

“It’s time to get some new blood into the auction and this is a great opportunity for a perhaps - but not necessarily - younger person to come on board and play a key role in this extraordinary event.

“This event has done so much for our town, yet we seem to be continually recycling our committee.

“There are plenty of businesses and accommodation places that benefit from the event.

“It’s probably about time they supported through volunteering.

“Please don’t get me wrong - many businesses do support us and have since the beginning.

“There are plenty of people out there interested in the Kelpie and this event, there are plenty of people interested in the continuation of the event and the community, we just need to lever them out and support them.”

Mr Matthews said without a convenor the sad reality was, that the auction could not go ahead.

“We must have that single contact point, a single co-ordinator and information point, so everyone is on the same page - consistent and accurate information is the key,” he said.

“If we don’t have that person to bring everything together and provide that central communication point for our vendors and buyers, we don’t have an auction.”

He said while the muster as a whole – including the Rotary Art Show and Saturday’s festival – were outstanding attractions for visitors, the working dog auction was the essential component of the weekend and would be a devastating loss, if a convenor could not be found.

“This entire movement started with Jack Gleeson, trading a pup on the banks of the Glenelg River right here in the Western District and his story was revived when we sold a few dogs off the back of a ute at the Casterton saleyards in the 1990s,” he said.

“That has evolved into the sale we see today, which recognises Casterton as the birthplace of the Kelpie and realises the value of the Australian Kelpie as an essential worker on farms across the globe.

“Every year now, we see the country’s best breeders and the most outstanding dogs, bitches and pups from this iconic Australian breed, in our town.

“While they are held across the country now, Casterton’s working dog auction started this movement and it would be a tragedy for our region if we folded.”

Since its humble beginnings in 1997, Casterton’s working dog auction has seen several ‘firsts’ for the Kelpie breed, worldwide – it was the first auction dedicated solely to working dogs and also the first event for online sales platform, AuctionsPlus, to be comprised solely of dog sales.

The event made world headlines in 2021, when Hoover – a Kelpie from just up the road at Edenhope – sold for $35,200, smashing the event’s own previous record and the national record set at another event just two years earlier, by more than $10,000.

In addition to showcasing the iconic Australian Kelpie, the working dog auction is a major fundraiser for the Western District community.

All profits from the event are returned to community groups each year, with more than $12,000 in cheques presented, this year alone and more than $150,000 over the life of the auction.

Casterton Kelpie Association President, Karen Stephens said outside of the auction income, the sale was an essential event in the Casterton Kelpie Muster Weekend – a huge economic injection for the Western District.

Every three years, an economic impact analysis for the Kelpie Muster is produced by the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR), for the Glenelg Shire.

Mrs Stephens said the latest report, released following the 2019 muster event,  showed an unparalleled benefit for the Casterton district.

“These reports, as well as anecdotal feedback from local businesses and community groups, have consistently shown the Kelpie weekend to be, arguably, a critical source of income and promotion for our region, bringing in visitors all-year-round,” Mrs Stephens said.

“The report calls the muster ‘an event of local significance’ – it attracts an estimated 3500 visitors into town over the three days, so a total of 10,500 visitors over the weekend and an average spend, per visitor, of $150.

“This makes a total estimated visitor spend of $1,575,000 attributed to Kelpie weekend.

“The institute calculates the overall impact or contribution across the Glenelg Shire - so taking into account things like accommodation spends and uptake of other entertainment, hospitality and visitor experiences – to be more than $3.5 million.

“The report also shows there is increased employment across the shire – whether that be additional hours for existing staff or short-term job opportunities for additional staff – over the weekend.”

Anyone who is interested in taking on the convenor’s role is invited to phone Mr Matthews on 0437 171 778.