Lindsay a runner up in the Australian Beekeeper of the Year awards

Warral Maldon Owner/Managing Director Lindsay Callaway has won runner up in the 2022 Australian Beekeeper of the Year awards, from the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council!

After being nominated for the big prize a couple of months ago as the finalist for Victoria, Lindsay was invited to Brisbane with the other state finalists for an intense two-day workshop. With a focus on building their leadership skills, they worked on how to turn their work into a compelling story. This was to create a video for the judges to decide on the overall winner, but was also a great way to step up their approach to marketing and communications.

Lindsay’s finalist certificate from AHBIC acting CEO Danny Le Feuvre

It was also a great opportunity to meet the other finalists and learn about the fantastic work they’re doing to further our industry. Beekeeping can be a bit isolating and apiarists can tend to keep to themselves, so bringing them together to exchange stories and expertise is a really great initiative from AHBIC.

It’s definitely worth checking out the other finalists:

Jake Leske, The Queen’s Cut (South Australia) – the winner and Australian Beekeeper of the Year! Jake is passionate about showcasing the varieties of honey flavours, and native bushland revegetation.
Julie Dinsdale, Honey in the Garden (Western Australia). She started out as a recreational beekeeper and now has a thriving business – her focus is on educating the next generation about the importance of honey bees and pollination.
Jack Stone, Bee One Third (Queensland). A nod to the fact that one third of our product depends on pollination, Jack runs a unique community-driven service where he helps organisations host a hive in their backyard.
Zac Alcock, Central West Apiaries (New South Wales). Zac is keen to develop his knowledge about everything bees and honey, particularly in Australia’s biosecurity, travelling abroad to learn about pests and diseases.

All the AHBIC Beekeeper of the Year finalists in Brisbane.

Then a couple of weeks later it was time to get the results, with the winner announced at the gala dinner closing out the AHBIC Bee Congress in early June. Lindsay was the runner up, only just missing out to Jake from The Queen’s Cut, and the judges noted Lindsay’s knowledge, experience and passion coming through.