HAVING been granted an auctioneer's licence I was determined to give it a go. I had no bank account. It was a cash and carry business.

A very old friend gave me a stone building to sell in the town, which was my first auction sale, and I sold it for 800 pounds and got 40 pounds commission.

"What a windfall! Manna from heaven," I said to myself. With this I opened an account at the bank.

I did not give up my job with the doctor. He was so kind and human I could not turn him down.

I stopped with him till he sold his practice and left the district. Then I began to concentrate on the agency business in earnest.

From that day on I never looked back, even sold a farm for Kameruka Estate.

I bought a new T-model Ford car and it caused a lot of comment in the district. Even some of my friends inquired if I had paid cash for it.

In order to satisfy the inquisitive folk I pasted the receipt on the windscreen.

They even went so far as to go to the trouble of writing to the firm I bought the car from to find out if I had paid for it.

To succeed you must disregard the mud and those that sling it! I kept my head and the same hat always fitted me to perfection.

I had my first cattle sale, and had a yarding of 50 head and sold them all.

Well, I'll never forget, I stood up and read out the terms, "Ten pounds and under cash - over that amount I will take an approved bill with bank discount added."

I did not know an approved bill from blotting paper!

The first touch I got was for 270 pounds.

The man who lapped me for it did it so bare faced that I could not believe it to be true.

I put a curse on him and within six months he died in agony and my 270 pounds died with him.

When Mr and Mrs Yeadon passed on they left the farm to an English couple and they engaged me to sell it by public auction together with a well bred lot of shorthorn dairy cows.

The property containing 587 acres was submitted for auction sale and was sold for 11,000 pounds.