More than 50 excited bidders, supporters and industry leaders came together at the McGrath Head Office in Pyrmont, Sydney last night to watch the crowning of the 2020 REINSW Novice Auctioneers Competition champion.
Over 25 novice auctioneers battled it out over the course of the competition but, in the end, Josh Logan-Pye was named the winner.
“I’m blown away to be crowned NAC Champion,” says Logan-Pye. “I decided to compete in this year’s competition to help conquer my fear of speaking in front of people and to really challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone. I’d not ever called an auction before the competition, so I’ve just been practising, practising, practising in front of friends, family and my colleagues at Belle Property Lake Macquarie over the past few weeks.”
NAC Head Judge, Thomas McGlynn, says Logan-Pye came close to winning the Newcastle heat so the judges chose to send him through to the final as a wild card entrant.
“The judges look for a level of improvement from finalists between their heat and the final,” says McGlynn. “Josh displayed a high level of commitment; it was very noticeable how much practice he had put in in order to refine his auction call and make it so polished and professional.”
“There has been a long history of novices in this competition going on to become notable auctioneers and Josh has a great career in auctioneering ahead of him,” says McGlynn.
The NAC is a platform for the state’s would-be and up-and-coming auctioneers to try their hand at auctioneering. During the heats, each participant auctions a luxury item of their choice for charity. This year, for the first time ever, the pressure was stepped up with the finalists given an actual property to auction off – a 2-bedroom unit in Hornsby.
The final was followed by a charity auction by three industry auctioneers. Over $4,000 was raised from the heats and the charity auction for REINSW’s 2020 charity partner, RISE – a mental health resource for the real estate industry in Australia and New Zealand that provides education, prevention and intervention.
“It’s time for us to put mental health, wellness and wellbeing squarely at the top of our agenda,” says REINSW President, Leanne Pilkington, “particularly now with the enormous pressure on the industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic”. “Led by a real estate industry collective, RISE is a ‘movement for good’ and has created the opportunity for our industry to work together to raise money for such an important cause.”
NAC 2020 finalists
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Sydney East
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Lee Dowdall
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Sydney CBD
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Bret Ransley
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Newcastle
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Mel Payne
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Wildcard
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Josh Logan-Pye (winner)
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Wildcard
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Meredith O’Reilly
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REINSW President, Leanne Pilkington is available for comment.
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About REINSW
REINSW is the peak industry body for real estate agents and property professionals in NSW. It represents more than 2000 agencies across residential sales, property management, commercial, strata management, buyers’ agency, agency services and auctioneering. Established in 1910, REINSW works to improve the standards, professionalism and expertise of its members to continually evolve and innovate the industry. It lobbies the government and industry on behalf of members, develops new products and services to benefit agencies and professionals, and offers training and ongoing professional development. For more information, visit reinsw.com.au.