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Dairy man gets OAM

By Geoff Adams

Jun 12, 2023

In full flight: Dairy auctioneer Brian Leslie, OAM. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite

Prominent dairy auctioneer and livestock businessman Brian Leslie has been acknowledged in the King’s Birthday honours list.

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Mr Leslie, the leading dairy auctioneer with Dairy Livestock Services, who played a role in founding International Dairy Week, has received the Order of Australia in the general division (OAM).

Mr Leslie grew up in a dairying family in Gippsland and has spent his whole life working in the industry.

He possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of cow families, thanks to a photographic memory, first developed as a young boy.

He was a former co-owner of 21st Century Genetics, the owner of Brown and Leslie Dairy Agency and a recipient of the Les Bunn Memorial Award in 2008.

Beginning with Gippsland and Northern agent Daryl Brown, Mr Leslie credits a large part of his success to working with knowledgable mentors, good people and many successful breeders.

He’s very conscious of the opportunities he was given as a young man, and in return, he has invested some of his time into encouraging the next generation at youth camps.

“I was lucky to get involved with pretty solid people in the dairy industry, so I wanted to give back to the kids.”

He established the inaugural all breeds dairy youth camp in 1987.

By Geoff Adams

Shepparton News assistant editor and Country News journalist