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BALLINA RSL CLUB, 1 GRANT STREET, BALLINA NSW 2478
Ticket sales will close when sold out or 24 April 2025 11:59PM
The Association hereby gives notice that its Annual General Meeting, Conference and Trade Exhibition will be held on Thursday, 22 and Friday, 23 May 2025 at Riverside Function Centre, 1 Grant Street, Ballina to conduct the following business:
Wednesday, 22 May 2024 will be host to our Hospitality Evening within the Trade Exhibition space at Ballina RSL Club, including canapés and drinks, commencing at 5:00pm, where delegates will have the opportunity to mingle and meet with some of our Guest Speakers and explore our Trade Exhibition.
The two-day Conference, sponsored by Lockwood Beekeeping Supplies, will feature presentations by industry leading experts, both international and local, including presentations by Keynote Speakers: Anne Marie Fauvel, Emily Remnant Frewoini Baume and Nick Milne.
Our feature Trade Exhibition, which will run for the two days of conference, will showcase trade booths from exhibitors from both Australia and overseas.
Friday night will host our Annual Conference Dinner, featuring a delicious meal and a live auction, this will be a night not to be missed!
Tickets are limited so get in quick to avoid disappointment! Sales will close on 24 April or prior if sold out.
We have secured limited discounted accommodation rates for our delegates at the following motels:
Please telephone the motel directly and advise that you are booking to attend the NSW Apiarists’ Association’s AGM and Conference to reserve one of these rooms. Please note that there are a limited number of rooms held so get in fast to secure your accommodation.
*Note: Photographs and videos will taken at this event. By attending this event you hereby acknowledge this and consent to the possibility of having your photo/likeness/recordings posted publicly and on social media.
Tech Transfer Team Coordinator, Bee Informed Partnership
Originally trained as a Wildlife Biologist and Educator, 15 years ago Anne Marie fell in love with honey bees. She taught biology, environmental studies and sustainable food systems at Grand Valley State University, and she realigned her research priorities to include honey bee research. Wanting to focus on honey bees exclusively, she joined the University of Maryland and became the Tech Transfer Team coordinator for the Bee Informed Partnership (BIP). She conducted longitudinal monitoring of colony health in commercial beekeeping operations throughout the U.S. and coordinated large real-world commercial beekeeping studies and trials. More recently, Anne Marie began collaborating with other U.S. academic institutions to provide large data collection and field trial logistics and services as a non-biased scientific third party. Anne Marie is also the current Program Director for the American Honey Producers Association.
DPI Honey Bee Industry Development Officer
Dr Madlen Kratz works with the Department of Primary Industries in NSW as the 'Honeybee Industry Development Officer'. Her background is in research on honey bee nutrition, foraging behaviour, and pollination. She focuses on bee health and productivity for the Honey Bee and Pollination Industries. Current areas of work include evaluating supplementary feeding practices for their costs and benefits to beekeepers, assessing alternative pasture species for their value to honey bees, and evaluating the attractiveness of blueberry flowers to bees under crop covers.
Goldfields Honey
Jon is a commercial beekeeper, Managing Director and co owner of Goldfields Honey Australia P/L with his mother Vicki. Jon manages 11000 hives and several thousand nucleus colonies. Goldfields produce premium bulk honey, beeswax, honey comb, queen bees, nucleus colonies and pollinate almonds with all of their hives. Jon’s three siblings are also involved in the beekeeping industry. Undertaking tourism, honey packing, bee equipment manufacturing, marketing and administration. Jon developed a love and passion for the industry working along side his father, Grant, from a young age. Assisting his father with honey production, pollination and package bee exports. Jon has worked on and visited bees in several countries around the world. Jon has become involved in the industry body to assist fellow beekeepers in industry challenges and to promote the beekeeping industry as a whole.
Technical Specialist - Bees NSW Department of Primary Industries
Liz Frost works as ‘Technical Specialist - Bees’ for the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Liz started with bees in 2008 at the University of California, Davis, as Sue Cobey’s student volunteer, working her way up to lab and field technician. Before coming to Australia in 2013, Liz worked for California, Minnesota, and North Dakota queen breeders, as a US Bee Informed Partnership technician with commercial queen breeders and honey producers, and as an independent contractor. She started E. Frost Apicultural Services in 2013, contracting AI and queen breeding services. Liz is also currently a Masters candidate at the University of New England Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit. Liz co-managed Australia’s National Honey Bee Genetic Improvement Program (Plan Bee) and continues to research and teach on bee breeding and selection now that Varroa is establishing in Australia.”
CEO Australian Honey Bee Industry Council
Danny Le Feuvre is the CEO of the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC), the national peak representative body for the honey bee industry. Previously a commercial beekeeper for 15 years providing pollination services across a diverse range of crops in South Australia. He has been working in AHBIC for the past 3.5 years, delivering outcomes as guided by AHBIC member bodies and board. Danny has a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Melbourne and a Masters in Agribusiness from the University of Adelaide and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Senior Lecturer, BEE Lab, University of Sydney
Dr Emily Remnant is a Senior Lecturer in the BEE lab at the University of Sydney. Her research addresses global problems associated with insects, like food security, invasive species, and pollinator health. Her current research program aims to understand and prevent the negative impacts of emerging viruses, parasitic Varroa mites and pesticides on honey bees, and to define the role of Varroa as a viral vector. She is currently investigating how the viral landscape of Australian bees is changing due to Varroa’s spread, and investigating the impact of two novel Rhabdoviruses on honey bee health. Dr Remnant is also working with an interdisciplinary team to develop safer, environmentally-friendly pesticides using structure-based drug discovery methods to identify chemicals that specifically target in-hive honey bee pests like Varroa, while being safe for bees.
Senior Research Fellow & Director SCU Bee Research and Extension Lab
Dr Cooper Schouten is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of Southern Cross Universities Bee Research and Extension Lab. Coopers research focuses on strategic beekeeping industry development with an engaged and applied focus which seeks to provide direct benefits to beekeeping businesses. Cooper has international beekeeping research, capacity building, training and extension experience working in several countries in the Indo-Pacific region. He is a keen beekeeper with experience working with commercial beekeeping operations.
Owner and Managing Director of Warral Maldon
Lindsay Callaway is the current owner and managing director of Warral Maldon, based in central Victoria with over 5,000 hives. Warral Maldon found its beginning with an Edward Teague Penglase in 1896 – Lindsay’s great-great grandfather, making him the fifth generation owner. Growing up in the industry, Lindsay inherited his love of bees from his dad, Roger and has continued his legacy of innovation and excellence in the beekeeping profession. He is constantly on the hunt for the best when it comes to his business, from hive production and transportation, equipment standards and biosecurity, to honey and beeswax processing, queen bee breeding, research and quality standards. Lindsay is happiest when out on the road with his bees chasing honey flows and is passionate about sharing what he’s learned to benefit the wider industry, and tackling its biggest challenges together as a community. “For generations, most people had little knowledge or even cared about where honey came from, how it was collected, processed and packaged. Most people had a distant view of beekeeping generally. But in the last twenty years, the awareness and role of bees have heightened enormously. So now there’s a lot of interest in bees, saving bees, how we need bees for one third of our crops, need bees to pollinate. And, of course, for yummy honey.
Head of Department of Ecological, Plant and Animal Science School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University
Professor Travis Beddoe leads the Agriculture Bio-solutions lab at La Trobe University, addressing host-pathogen interactions in agriculture. His research focuses on diagnostics, understanding disease pathogenesis, and developing vaccines and immunotherapies. He holds a certificate III in beekeeping and is working to improve AFB detection, develop vaccines against AFB and EFB, and find natural products to control varroa infections.
Frewoini has a growing interest in bees and beekeeping. Through a Global Footprints Scholarship, which allows young people to travel and experience their industry elsewhere, Frewoini has had the opportunity to see beekeeping practices in parts of the Pacific and Central Asia. Post this scholarship, Frewoini is remarkably lucky to have been invited back to join Dr. Samuel Ramsey's research team. In February 2025 they embark on their next adventure which takes them to the Philippines. Here they will be looking not only at Apis Mellifera, Apis Cerana and Varroa mites but, more excitingly for Frewoini, Apis Dorsata. Can you imagine the bee management needed here? Apis Dorsata is the original host of Tropilaelaps mite. The arrival of varroa mite in Australia seems to have, rightfully, heightened our awareness of other industry threats, including Tropilaelaps mite. Being a relatively young member of the industry her knowledge is only the tip of the iceberg so Frewoini is excited to learn more and looks forward to sharing with the industry what she sees and learns on these trips.
Post Doctoral Research Fellow, University of New England
Carolyn Sonter is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of New England where she recently completed her Doctorate on the impact of PFAS and protected cropping on honey bees. At UNE, Carolyn is involved in pollination research and teaches biology. She is also developing a pesticide guide for beekeepers to bridge the knowledge gap between the manufacturer, grower and beekeeper. Carolyn owns a small commercial beekeeping operation that produces honey and provides pollination of melons in glasshouses.
National Varroa T2M Coordinator National Varroa Mite Management Program
Tamara Prentice is the Varroa mite Transition to Management Coordinator, overseeing the national roll out of the Program. Tamara is embedded in NSW DPIRD, and has a background in land use planning, most recently leading a team of planners across NSW in providing advice and policies to ensure intergenerational access to landscapes that support food and fibre production. Tamara was the recipient of the 2023 Planning Institute of Australia NSW Dr Helen Proudfoot Women in Planning award, and has been recognised in parliament for her contributions to NSW Agricultural Planning. Tamara has previously held roles in NSW Dept of Planning, Crown Lands, Local Government and in the Northern Territory Government. She also runs a small mixed farming enterprise in Northern NSW.
Entomologist & Higher Degree Research Director
Markus Riegler is an entomologist, Professor and Higher Degree Research Director at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment of Western Sydney University. He and his team investigate the interactions of Australian beneficial and pest insects with microbes such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, and these microbes’ potential and use in insect management. He currently leads a research program on the use of entomopathogenic nematodes in the biological control of diverse pests, including honey bee pests such as small hive beetle, greater wax moth and lesser wax moth. Other research projects are on the development of new control strategies for horticultural pests such as fruit fly and thrips. He has also supervised research projects on pollinator health and the development of Australian native bee and fly species as pollinators in horticultural industries.
Honeybee Health and Biology Researcher, Macquarie University
Dr. Théotime Colin is a honeybee health and biology researcher at Macquarie University. Dr Colin has over 15 years of practical experience with varroa from his time as a beekeeper in France and conducted research on miticides in Arizona. He has worked extensively on the effects that pesticides, including those used for the control of varroas, have on honeybees. His current research projects focus on developing physical and mechanical methods to control varroas in Australian climates without using chemicals. These include mite trapping, heat treatments, brood breaks and mite dislodgement devices.
Natural Product Chemist, UniSC Honey Lab
Asmaa is a natural product chemist in the Centre for Bioinnovation and School of Science, Technology and Engineering at UniSC. She completed her PhD in 2014 at the University Paris XI in creating a library of active compounds by modifying the structure of a marine natural product using chemistry and biotransformation. Asmaa joined Griffith University in 2015 as a postdoctoral research fellow focusing on the determination of active new compounds using NMR guided isolation and NMR metabolomics. In 2020, Asmaa joined the University of the Sunshine Coast as a research officer identifying and quantifying natural compounds using HPLC-MS and GC-MS. Asmaa holds a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Education and is recognised as an AFHEA.
National Varroa Training Coordinator
Nadine currently works as the National Varroa Training Coordinator, creating resources and organising training for Australian beekeepers to learn to manage Varroa. Previously, she worked as a bee researcher at the University of Sydney doing industry focused research including Plan Bee (National Honey Bee Genetic Improvement Program) and resilient beekeeping in the face of Varroa. Nadine is passionate about working with the beekeeping industry and disseminating knowledge that improves industry practice and sustainability.
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