Published Thursday, 14 December, 2006 at 12:17 PM
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries
The Honourable Tim Mulherin
INNOVATIVE QUEENSLAND PRODUCERS VIE FOR NATIONAL AWARD
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin today announced the five Queensland finalists vying for the prestigious 2007 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation’s (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award.
The finalists are: Puddy Chandler, Project Officer, Injune and District Parthenium Action Group; Sarah Frith, Managing Director, Farm Fresh Central, Brisbane; Denise Harslett, Proprietor, Harslett Farms, Amiens; Linda Jaques, Proprietor, Jaques Australian Coffee, Mareeba and Sonya Maley, Managing Director, Resis Australia, Mossman.
“The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries coordinates this award in Queensland and is committed to supporting and promoting the work of innovators in agriculture.” Mr Mulherin said.
“I would like to congratulate these visionary women for the contributions they are making to the development of their respective industries and communities.”
The Queensland winner of the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award receives a $10,000 bursary to implement a project that contributes to the development of their own skills and benefits primary industries.
The Queensland winner then competes with other state and territory winners for the honour of being named Australian Rural Woman of the Year.
Martha Shepherd, a businesswoman from the Sunshine Coast, aiming to assist other producers on small farms to join forces in an innovative way to value-add and market their products, was the Queensland and national 2006 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award winner.
Ms Shepherd, who established Galeru in 1997 with her partner David Haviland, produces unique fruit sauces, yoghurt and gourmet bakery products made from native Australian rainforest fruits grown on their small acreage in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
The Queensland winner will be announced at a gala ceremony in Brisbane in March next year.
The finalists are:
Puddy (Nita) Chandler, Injune and District Parthenium Action Group, Injune: Beef producer, Puddy Chandler is passionate about the land and the role that natural resource management plays in the long-term sustainability of rural communities. As project officer and founding member of the Injune and District Parthenium Action Group she is committed to eradicating the insidious Parthenium weed in her region through community education programs. Her project involves undertaking leadership training and reprinting the group’s magazine The Road We Have Travelled, an invaluable booklet for farmers that provides practical strategies to assist in weed control programs.
Sarah Frith, Farm Fresh Central, Brisbane: Sarah Frith owns and operates Farm Fresh Central, an online store that sells and delivers a range of fresh produce including beef, lamb, gourmet pasta, herbs and honey direct from farmers to Brisbane customers. The business is part of Sarah’s vision to bridge the city-country divide so that consumers understand and value the work of rural Australians in producing their food. Her project involves studying the marketing and e-commerce strategies of similar businesses in the United States and United Kingdom. On her return, she will conduct seminars for Queensland producers so that they can be better equipped to take their products to market.
Denise Harslett, Harslett Farms, Amiens : Denise Harslett is an agricultural science graduate, who has worked in the family horticulture business at Amiens for 31 years. She is responsible for financial management and coordinating the nursery which produces over five million vegetable seedlings every year. Denise developed and implemented an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system reducing the farm’s dependence on chemicals and ensuring the success of crops that would otherwise have been unviable. Her project involves undertaking a course on soil microbiology and a study tour to the United Kingdom to learn more about Integrated Pest Management systems. This study will enable her to expand the IPM concept into an Integrated Farm Management model that can be used across the horticulture industry.
Linda Jaques, Jaques Australian Coffee, Mareeba
Linda Jaques and her family migrated from Tanzania to Australia in 1978 with some very big dreams and a passion for coffee. Jaques Australian Coffee at Mareeba is now a successful award-winning coffee and agri-tourism venture incorporating a shop, café, theatre and plantation tours in the Bean Machine. Linda’s project involves the importation and cultivation of natural caffeine-free coffee plants. The plants are currently being researched by scientists in Brazil and are not available in Australia. Linda believes that a naturally produced decaffeinated coffee with its superior taste and increased health benefits for consumers will offer a new market for Australian coffee growers and processors.
Sonya Maley, Resis Australia, Mossman
With industry support, Sonya Maley established Resis Australia in 2006 to commercialise sugar cane products using cane separation technology. This novel technology differs from traditional milling in that it allows access to clean separated streams of fibres, juice and waxes for further value adding. Sonya believes that the company has only just begun to tap into the enormous potential for functional foods from sugar cane with human dietary fibre and juice concentrates already attracting considerable interest from Japanese and Australian manufacturers. Her project involves undertaking a study tour to the United States to investigate cane separation technology, identify past technical constraints and then apply this new knowledge to her work in Australia.
For more information about Award finalists and photos contact DPI&F, Women in Rural Industries on 3239 3515 or email wiriu@dpi.qld.gov.au.
Media:
Minister’s office 32396530
DPI&F Kaye Nunan 32393254 for photos of finalists and further details.
The finalists are: Puddy Chandler, Project Officer, Injune and District Parthenium Action Group; Sarah Frith, Managing Director, Farm Fresh Central, Brisbane; Denise Harslett, Proprietor, Harslett Farms, Amiens; Linda Jaques, Proprietor, Jaques Australian Coffee, Mareeba and Sonya Maley, Managing Director, Resis Australia, Mossman.
“The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries coordinates this award in Queensland and is committed to supporting and promoting the work of innovators in agriculture.” Mr Mulherin said.
“I would like to congratulate these visionary women for the contributions they are making to the development of their respective industries and communities.”
The Queensland winner of the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award receives a $10,000 bursary to implement a project that contributes to the development of their own skills and benefits primary industries.
The Queensland winner then competes with other state and territory winners for the honour of being named Australian Rural Woman of the Year.
Martha Shepherd, a businesswoman from the Sunshine Coast, aiming to assist other producers on small farms to join forces in an innovative way to value-add and market their products, was the Queensland and national 2006 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award winner.
Ms Shepherd, who established Galeru in 1997 with her partner David Haviland, produces unique fruit sauces, yoghurt and gourmet bakery products made from native Australian rainforest fruits grown on their small acreage in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
The Queensland winner will be announced at a gala ceremony in Brisbane in March next year.
The finalists are:
Puddy (Nita) Chandler, Injune and District Parthenium Action Group, Injune: Beef producer, Puddy Chandler is passionate about the land and the role that natural resource management plays in the long-term sustainability of rural communities. As project officer and founding member of the Injune and District Parthenium Action Group she is committed to eradicating the insidious Parthenium weed in her region through community education programs. Her project involves undertaking leadership training and reprinting the group’s magazine The Road We Have Travelled, an invaluable booklet for farmers that provides practical strategies to assist in weed control programs.
Sarah Frith, Farm Fresh Central, Brisbane: Sarah Frith owns and operates Farm Fresh Central, an online store that sells and delivers a range of fresh produce including beef, lamb, gourmet pasta, herbs and honey direct from farmers to Brisbane customers. The business is part of Sarah’s vision to bridge the city-country divide so that consumers understand and value the work of rural Australians in producing their food. Her project involves studying the marketing and e-commerce strategies of similar businesses in the United States and United Kingdom. On her return, she will conduct seminars for Queensland producers so that they can be better equipped to take their products to market.
Denise Harslett, Harslett Farms, Amiens : Denise Harslett is an agricultural science graduate, who has worked in the family horticulture business at Amiens for 31 years. She is responsible for financial management and coordinating the nursery which produces over five million vegetable seedlings every year. Denise developed and implemented an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system reducing the farm’s dependence on chemicals and ensuring the success of crops that would otherwise have been unviable. Her project involves undertaking a course on soil microbiology and a study tour to the United Kingdom to learn more about Integrated Pest Management systems. This study will enable her to expand the IPM concept into an Integrated Farm Management model that can be used across the horticulture industry.
Linda Jaques, Jaques Australian Coffee, Mareeba
Linda Jaques and her family migrated from Tanzania to Australia in 1978 with some very big dreams and a passion for coffee. Jaques Australian Coffee at Mareeba is now a successful award-winning coffee and agri-tourism venture incorporating a shop, café, theatre and plantation tours in the Bean Machine. Linda’s project involves the importation and cultivation of natural caffeine-free coffee plants. The plants are currently being researched by scientists in Brazil and are not available in Australia. Linda believes that a naturally produced decaffeinated coffee with its superior taste and increased health benefits for consumers will offer a new market for Australian coffee growers and processors.
Sonya Maley, Resis Australia, Mossman
With industry support, Sonya Maley established Resis Australia in 2006 to commercialise sugar cane products using cane separation technology. This novel technology differs from traditional milling in that it allows access to clean separated streams of fibres, juice and waxes for further value adding. Sonya believes that the company has only just begun to tap into the enormous potential for functional foods from sugar cane with human dietary fibre and juice concentrates already attracting considerable interest from Japanese and Australian manufacturers. Her project involves undertaking a study tour to the United States to investigate cane separation technology, identify past technical constraints and then apply this new knowledge to her work in Australia.
For more information about Award finalists and photos contact DPI&F, Women in Rural Industries on 3239 3515 or email wiriu@dpi.qld.gov.au.
Media:
Minister’s office 32396530
DPI&F Kaye Nunan 32393254 for photos of finalists and further details.