Horses have long been one of Greg Mance’s great loves and, as part of the Windsor Smith shoe empire, he was able to indulge his passion through Carngham Station – a 2400-hectare horse training stud outside Ballarat.

Greg’s father Clarrie established Windsor Smith in 1946, the year his son was born. His father also loved to train trotters, which is probably how Greg inherited his love of racehorses.

One of the finest portraits by the prominent and influential Australian artist Tom Roberts (1856-1931) remaining in private ownership will be among paintings auctioned by Sotheby’s Australia as part of its Important Australian Art sale at the Intercontinental Sydney from 6.30pm on Tuesday May 13.

Most renowned for his pioneering subjects such as Shearing the Rams (1890, National Gallery of Victoria) and A Break Away! (Art Gallery of South Australia), Roberts is regarded as one of Australia’s finest portrait painters.

One of Australia’s most respected fine art consultants and curators John Buckley is selling much of his impressive collection of modern and contemporary Australian art by some of the country’s leading artists.

The auction from 6.30pm on Tuesday at Mossgreen 926-930 High Street, Armadale is a great opportunity for art lovers to pick up quality works collected over many years by a professional art curator, according to Mossgreen managing director Paul Sumner.

The Milton and Alma Roxanas collection of Aboriginal art – that he began collecting in the 1980s after being introduced to Hogarth Galleries director and scholar Clive Evatt in Sydney – will be auctioned by Bonhams from 4pm on Sunday May 11 Byron Kennedy Hall in Moore Park.

Bonhams Aboriginal art specialists are confident the Roxanas collection will attract plenty of interest as it includes paintings by artists whose prices went through the roof when the auction house sold Clive Evatt’s comprehensive collection in November last year.