IN THE past 30 years, livestock agent Matt Ward has worked in at least nine locations, across three states and territories, but one thing has remained the same - his employer.
Last week, the Elders Dublin/Yorke Peninsula livestock manager marked 30 years with Elders, joining in April 1989 after he finished high school.
He grew up on a farm at Kadina, and was considering a butcher course through tafeSA, when a job at Elders came up, as a store and merchandise clerk at Alice Springs, NT.
Six years - and a series of moves, including to Katherine, NT, Broken Hill, NSW, and Bordertown, he made the move into the livestock side of the business, and settled in Strathalbyn, while working on the road as a stock salesman.
In the next few years, he would be based at Ceduna, Wudinna, Wilmington and Euduna, before finally settling back at Kadina, five years ago.
Mr Ward said he had seen quite a bit in his time at Elders, including three company restructures.
"Elders has been good to me, it's family to me, really," he said.
"I can't see myself working anywhere else."
He said Eudunda, where he was based for 12 years, including raising three daughters with wife Jodie, had a special place in his heart.
These days, he is head Elders auctioneer at the SA Livestock Exchange at Dublin, where he has sold for the past 14 years.
"Auctioneering in saleyards is something that gets me up and going, because you're standing over people's livestock and you've got to do your best for them," he said.
Among his career highlights, he cites holding the record for selling cattle at Dublin, in December, 2016, when 22 Angus-cross heifers from the Rankin family, Coober Pedy, sold for $4.60 a kilogram.
"I probably won't do that again for a while," Mr Ward said.
He was also auctioneering when a heavy lamb record of $252 was achieved for a pen of 50 from Liaway Pty Ltd, Graceland, via Alford, last August.
"Records are there to be broken," Mr Ward said.
"Between now and the end of the year, there could be plenty of records broken, if we get some rain."