Brian Leslie

Brian Leslie grew up in a family with a long history of dairy and cattle farming. He first went to the Show as a small boy and loved it. As he remembers, the Royal Melbourne Show ‘was always the Mecca of the show world. I’ll never forget the first year I went, I was probably as excited as I’d ever been and really looked forward to it’.

From 12 years old, Brian started staying on the showgrounds during the Show, exhibiting cattle. He recalls:

You lived on the Show for a fortnight. We'd get there on the Saturday, and judging wouldn't be until the Thursday; we'd get down there early to get the cows ready. We'd judge on Thursday, and then all breeds would be Friday, and then you'd be there for the next week as well.

As soon as he finished school, Brian got a job as a cattle auctioneer, and has spent his life breeding, farming, showing, auctioning and judging cattle. He started judging cattle at 17 years of age and became a Royal Melbourne Show judge for the first time in 1990. One of his favourite memories of the Show is the Grand Parade: ‘there’d be just hundreds and hundreds of cattle, both dairy and beef, out in the arena all at once, and all the horses would be there too … it was a masterpiece of work’.

Brian’s career as a judge and auctioneer has taken him around the world to many prestigious shows and competitions. But the Royal Melbourne Show maintains a special place in his life. Any chance he gets, Brian urges others to be a part of it.

It seems a bit silly I suppose; I've encouraged an enormous lot of people to go to the Melbourne Show. As I'd get around the country and I'd see a good cow - "You should take her to Melbourne", and they'd say, "Gee, I've never showed a cow at Melbourne".  I've really enjoyed seeing that happen, I've encouraged a lot of people to go, and I've seen them do very, very well and that's been a great thrill for me.