The Wide Bay community is mourning the loss of well-known cattleman Laurie Ellis.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
The 64-year-old Maryborough man, that had a passion for Droughtmaster cattle, could often be found at the Biggenden sale yards having a chat.
His brother Ken Ellis described hardworking Laurie as the "best brother" and a "best mate" and said those who knew him and worked with him are heartbroken after his recent death from an accident on the family farm.
"Laurie loved a yarn and usually a long yarn," he said.
"He often dropped into Biggenden sales and it wasn't long before he was leaning on the rails talking to someone.
"Timmy Barbler once said to me that he didn't know how Laurie ever learnt anything because it was always a one-sided conversation."
One of six siblings, Laurie took over the family property Marianna, in Yerra just outside Maryborough, after his parents passed away in 2004.
Ken said his brother laboured tirelessly on the property, in addition to his job as a truck driver for Fraser Coast Regional Council, where he worked for 39 years.
"The property now has acres and acres of improved pasture blowing in the wind, great cattle and good fences, an absolute credit to him," he said.
"He also bought three cattle properties at Gooroolba over the years and developed them to be outstanding properties.
"He regularly worked well into the night, ploughing or planting pasture or fencing or helping a cow birth its calf, he knew his cattle and could tell you the pedigree of any cow or what sex the calf was last year and he seldom wrote anything down, it was all in his head."
Previous to the role with council he had worked at Swifts Meatworks and then Morex Meats.
Ken said his brother Laurie was a dedicated reader of Queensland Country Life for 40 years and had an intimate knowledge of who owned different cattle properties in the district but was never keen to show his own cattle as he believed them "not good enough."
With little time to spare, Ken said his brother only had one holiday in his life, a trip to Birdsville in 2019.
"He never had time for a holiday but we took him in a 60-seater plane from Brisbane to Birdsville and Port Augusta via Lake Eyre and return," he said.
"It really opened his eyes.
"He had a great sense of dry humour and loved a good joke."
Details of Laurie's funeral will be forthcoming by the family.
READ ALSO: Strong demand at Monto
Subscribers have access to download our free app today from the App Store or Google Play
