Ray White Rural and Livestock celebrates its 2026 winners

Ray White Rural and Livestock CEO Matt White (pictured above) said the awards continued to build on a proud legacy and shine a spotlight on local excellence by celebrating the trailblazers and champions driving our regions forward. 

“We stand today as market leaders - not by chance, but by choice,” Matt said.

“In times of uncertainty, consumers naturally gravitate toward brands they trust. 

“They turn to us because they know our track record. They know we have weathered storms before, and they know we emerge stronger every time. To put it simply: this is not our first rodeo.”

Matt spoke about “doubling down”.

“In a property landscape that is increasingly noisy and complex, we are choosing to cut through that noise,” he said.

“We are reinvesting in the rural press, reaffirming our belief that print advertising is a cornerstone of our authority. 

“We are a company that honours its history - a company that remembers the strategies that built us while we simultaneously pioneer the tools of the future. 

“Our commitment to innovation is enduring.” 

Reflecting on the past financial year, Matt said it is incredible to see how much the rural network has continued to evolve.

“We've seen existing business owners expand into new locations, brand new business owners starting their journey with us, and teams moving into new spaces to support their ambitious growth,” he said.

This year’s event, hosted by Ray White Castle Hill general manager, Sonya Grosso, celebrated exceptional achievements across sales, leasing, property management, and marketing over the past year.

Joint winners of The Outstanding Contribution Award went to Sally Croft, general manager of Rural Pittsworth | Warwick | Dalby |  Chinchilla | Stanthorpe, and Ray White Rural Dayboro 

principal Vicki Pain.

Matt said Sally had been with the Pittsworth group for 12 years.

“She has been the backbone of the rapidly growing network, which now includes five offices,” he said.

“Sally drove the growth of the property management and administration departments whilst juggling three kids at home and personal challenges along the way.”

Sally said she was thrilled about being part of the Ray White family.

“I love this family and the support they have given our team and the support they have given everyone across the network, it’s truly amazing,” she said.

Matt said Vicki had been with the Ray White group for 21 years. For the last 13 years she has been the business owner of Ray White Rural Dayboro.

“Vicki has been an outstanding brand ambassador for Ray White Rural and the events throughout the year,” Matt said.

“Vicki goes out of her way to support Ray White Rural events and initiatives with an infectious commitment.

“I am very proud that both Vicki and Sally are joint winners of this year's outstanding contribution award.” 

Vicki said “we are a family”.

“It’s great to see everyone working so hard and doing so well,” Vicki said.

The Community Contribution Award went to Ray White Rural Goulburn.

The Top Business in the Rural network was Ray White Rural Pittsworth | Warwick | Dalby | 

Chinchilla | Stanthorpe.

The Top Office was Ray White Rural Queensland.

The prestigious Charlie Maher Award was given to Netty Wendt, principal of Ray White Rural Gracemere.

The award is named fittingly after Charlie who was an industry trailblazer, a friend and a huge influence in shaping the Ray White livestock network.

The Charlie Maher award goes to someone who embodies everything he stood for -  unwavering dedication, integrity and commitment to the network.

Matt said on top of managing her own business and family, Netty finds time to go above and beyond to assist the broader livestock network to conduct sales and events throughout the year. 

“Netty not only manages to make the impossible look easy but does it all with a smile on her face and a warm sense of humour,” he said. 

Matt Cleary, of Ray White Rural Toowoomba, was named Top Salesperson for the Rural network.

“This is really exciting,” Mr Cleary said.

“I’ve been doing real estate for 36 years and half of that time has been with Ray White.

“The last three to four years have been some of my best years - and that’s a reflection of what’s happening in the rural and Darling Downs market.”

Mr Cleary said his win was also a reflection of a lifetime of contacts, which has “come through in the end”.

In the Top Livestock Office category, the winner was Ray White Richardson & Sinclair (pictured above).

Ray White Rural Geaney | Kirkwood won the top Livestock office - Number of cattle sold, and Richardson & Sinclair was the winner of the Livestock office - Number of sheep sold.

Marcel Jung from Ray White Rural Gatton | Laidley took home the award for Top Principal.

Salespeople and offices that also distinguished themselves in the auction space were awarded with the Competition Creators Award. 

Ray White Rural Parkes | Forbes | Condobolin | West Wyalong took out the award in the office category while the team’s Jim O'Donoghue added another trophy to his cabinet, being named the Top Competition Creator in the Rural network for an individual. 

In the Clients’ Choice Office Award category, Ray White Wheatley Hall & Thomson, Ray White Townsend Real Estate, and Ray White Rural Bungendore were ranked in the top three. 

David Johnson, from Ray White Rural Woodford, Kristy Markham from Ray White Rural Lifestyle Sydney and Hamish Thomson from Ray White Wheatley Hall & Thomson all came in as the top three for Individuals in the Clients’ Choice awards category. 

In the Brand Territory awards category, James Brown from Ray White Rural Albury | Wodonga won the Brand Territory Livestock Marketer of the Year.

James Croft from Ray White Rural  Pittsworth | Warwick | Dalby | Chinchilla | Stanthorpe won the Brand Territory Property Marketer of the Year and Matt Cleary from Ray White Rural Toowoomba won the Property Campaign of the Year for their ‘Balmoral’ campaign.