Gelantipy breeders Frank and Dawn Boulton are the definition of troopers; determined to push on in difficult circumstances.
The couple will offer 400 Black Baldy heifers at the Omeo Angus and Angus-cross weaner sale, despite being badly affected by the recent East Gippsland bushfires.
"We lost a house, a hay shed, two sets of cattle yards and two others were damaged, and we've lost 40 kilometres internal and boundary fencing," Mrs Boulton said.
"We're still waiting to get the fences up so we've had to push all of our cattle into smaller paddocks and box them up together."
The Boulton's are expected to offer the largest May/June drop line of heifers.
"We've sold more than 400 head at other sales but a lot of them are too small to sell due to the fire and drought," Mrs Boulton, who runs a 300-head dairy operation at Sale, said.
"We've sent our heifers to Omeo since the first black sale 12 years ago and our steers will be sold at Gelantipy two weeks later."