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Dubbo’s Veronike Hartmeier is making her way in the wool industry. She is a Wool Advisor for Macdonald & Co Woolbrokers in Dubbo, covering the Coonamble, Baradine, Tooraweenah and Gilgandra districts and has also taken up the gavel, auctioneering at the Australian Wool Exchange at Yennora. Veronike, endorsed by NSW SMBA, was one of 10 future wool industry leaders from across Australia who was selected to tour China with Australian Wool Innovation as part of their 10-day Young Woolgrower Tour in May/June 2025.
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How long have you been in the wool industry and how did you get into it?
I guess you could say that being involved in the wool industry has always been part of my life. Growing up on the Monaro, I spent my school holidays helping on neighbouring properties with shearing, mustering and lamb marking. Through school I continued to follow my passion for the sheep and wool industry by taking part in the National Merino Challenge, a shearing school and obtaining my wool classing stencil. From there I followed my dreams, heading across the country from my Snowy Monaro home to the vast Nullarbor plains where I spent 12 months chasing 65,000 sheep around million-acre paddocks. Wanting to spend more time softening my hands in the lanolin grease, I made my way to the Riverina where I began working full time in local shearing sheds. One day the opportunity arose for me to do some work experience with one of the local woolbrokers. I jumped at this opportunity which led me to a full-time position. Now, with seven years of brokering experience, I have developed an amazing client base and built many wonderful industry connections.
What is your current role and what does a week at work look like for you?
I am currently working as a wool advisor and auctioneer at Macdonald & Co Woolbrokers in Dubbo. I support my clients throughout the wool selling process - from the early stages of in-shed wool preparation, assisting with organisation of on-farm wool pickups, lotting for sale, valuing, auctioneering and post-sale clip analysis. Getting the opportunity to travel around the countryside and meet many amazing people within the industry are definitely some of the highlights.
Since being in the industry what achievements are you most proud of?
In 2024 I was lucky enough to be nominated for the National Council of Wool Selling Brokers of Australia (NCWSBA) Broker Development Program and was a finalist for the Young Broker of the Year awards. This opportunity allowed me to connect with several industry representatives and build long lasting professional relationships as well as extend my knowledge of what happens beyond the gavel.
In more recent times, I have been nominated by NSW Stud Merino Breeders’ to attend the AWI Future Leaders Tour to China. I very much look forward to seeing wool processing first hand and being able to bring my insights home to share among my clients.
What would you say to young people who wish to pursue a career in the wool industry?
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and take any opportunity that may come your way. Get involved in industry events - it’s a small community and building connections with those involved can open up many new opportunities.
