Vivian, the man with the distinctive dulcet tones and gavel, announces retirement as Price rejoins Inglis
Popular Australian thoroughbred sales industry identity Simon Vivian will retire later this year after more than four decades in the game, paving the way for James Price to return to Inglis to take over as the company’s Victorian bloodstock manager.
Vivian, 64, announced yesterday that he would depart the auction house on his terms, bringing down the curtain on his career after the Australian Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney on April 6 and 7.
An auctioneer with a distinctive flair, Vivian started his career at Coles Brothers in Adelaide in 1997 and joined Inglis in 2004 following the company’s takeover of Dalgety. He was promoted to Victorian bloodstock manager in 2016 upon the retirement of Peter Heagney.
Vivian also enjoyed stints in Western Australia, Queensland, the UK and Asia before joining Inglis where he became the company’s South Africa representative in 2009.
“I have been doing this for 44 years and I have been married for 41, so it is basically the only thing I know what to do but it gets to a certain stage … where the travel does become tiring and I just want to be able to spend a bit more time at home,” Vivian told ANZ Bloodstock News while undertaking yearling inspections in regional Victoria yesterday.
“When you’re young and you’re etching out a career, you are working for the future and your wife and partner works with you. I have been discussing this with my wife (Carleen) for probably 12 months and she has been extremely keen on me getting to this point where we can enjoy life together and spend more time with our kids and our grandchildren.”
Vivian said he felt fortunate to finish his career at Inglis, while he believes the recent Classic sale was the “strongest yearling sale” he had “ever sold at”.
“I have been very lucky with where I have been but I have ended up at the best place. I have been very fortunate working initially with Reg, Arthur and Jamie (Inglis) and then at the conclusion with Mark (Webster),” he said.
“I have been very lucky to work for a company with the integrity of Inglis. It is unquestioned and it is a privilege to work for a company like that and, in a way, it helps your own reputation.
“Anybody who pulls on an Inglis jumper needs to understand that they are very fortunate and it stands them in very good stead from an industry viewpoint.”
While Vivian’s decision opens up the door for him to be able to participate in other facets of the industry, his new-found freedom is unlikely to see the experienced bloodstock consultant jumping on the other side of the fence on a permanent basis.
“I suppose you never say never, but I am leaving on the basis that it is a retirement,” he said.
“As I explained to Mark, I don’t intend to go home and grow tomatoes. I have got a lot of friends in the industry and I don’t intend to walk away from all of those, so if opportunities come up for me to be involved in the industry, I would love to be able to do it. But I will be doing it pretty much on my terms and my time.”
Inglis’ managing director Mark Webster described Vivian as an industry “household name” whose contribution to the game, particularly in Victoria, cannot be underestimated.
“Simon has had an incredible influence over so many people during his career and his work ethic and relationship building with clients is second-to-none,” Webster said.
“He has always shown a unique passion for the industry, especially the Victorian industry and the Premier sale, and while he is a great loss to the company, I wish him absolute relaxation and good health in retirement and thank him dearly for everything he has done not only for Inglis but also the industry as a whole. We are all indebted to him.’’
Meanwhile Price, who left Inglis in 2018 to join Victorian farm Woodside Park Stud, last week revealed he would leave the operation after nearly three years running the Mark Rowsthorn-owned farm, which is again undergoing a restructure.
“I’ve spent most of my professional working life at Inglis and it’s a company I have always admired, from Arthur and Charlotte and Jamie and Sarah (Inglis) down, they are just fantastic people and that’s important to me when choosing my career path,’’ Price said.
“I worked under Simon for many years and I have the utmost respect for him both as a person and as a professional so to be replacing somebody I view so highly is truly overwhelming.
“He, Sebastian (Hutch), Jonathan (D’Arcy) and the entire bloodstock team have created such an amazing base and I can’t wait to come in and be a part of that again and help take Inglis to even greater heights for our clients in years to come.’’
Vivian endorsed the appointment of his replacement, who will start back at Oaklands Junction on March 15, allowing a handover period between the pair.
“My original plan was to do it (retirement) after Premier, but I spoke to Sebastian and Mark and they asked me if I would stay on a little longer,” Vivian said.
“I have agreed to stay until April 14, after Easter, which gave them the opportunity to go and get James. He will start with Inglis immediately after Premier.
“That will also give me a month to hand things over to James and acquaint him with all of the ongoing work that we have got in place at Oaklands.”