Festival Speakers
& Special Guests
Costa Georgiadis
ABC TV Gardening Australia Host
Costa Georgiadis has been the Silver Logie awarded presenter of Australia’s much loved and long lasting show Gardening Australia.
A landscape architect, environmental educator and television presenter, Costa has an absolute love for plants and people, which is evident in every project he touches and every presentation he makes.
Costa’s charm, charisma and passion make him a particularly appealing public speaker who has a gift for making his important messages engaging and highly entertaining.
Bruce Pascoe
Author of bestselling book 'Dark Emu'
Bruce Pascoe is an Australian Indigenous writer and a Yuin, Bunurong and Tasmanian man. Bruce has worked in education, publishing, farming, fishing and Aboriginal language retrieval. He published and edited Australian Short Stories quarterly magazine for 16 years, and was joint winner (with David Foster) of Australian Literature Award (1999) and winner of the Radio National Short Story Competition (1998).
His most recent non-fiction title, Dark Emu, challenges the claim that pre-colonial Australian Aboriginal peoples were hunter-gatherers. His research of early settler accounts found accounts of grain cultivation, flour, wells, and dams. Dark Emu was short listed for the 2014 Victorian Premier's Indigenous Writer's Award, Qld Premier's Award and won the NSW Premier's Book of the year and Indigenous Writer's Prize in 2016.It will be presented by Bangarra Dance Company in 2018. His teenage novel, Fog a Dox, won the Prime Minister’s Young Adult Literature Award in 2013. Bruce was awarded the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature in 2018.
Bruce is currently experimenting with the revival of Aboriginal foods with the aim of promoting health and employment in the Aboriginal community.
Paul West
Host River Cottage Australia
Real Food Advocate, Former Chef & Media Personality
Paul West advocates for real food, sustainable agriculture, community and regional living. A trained chef and popular media personality, he is the former host of A River Cottage Australia and has a regular slot on ABC radio.
As the host of four series of A River Cottage Australia audiences followed Paul’s journey to grow farm-fresh food, then cook and share it with his local community. Now, around Australia, audiences enjoy catching Paul as he travels the country hosting cooking demonstrations at food festivals or attending his cooking classes at the River Cottage Farm in Tilba, NSW.
Paul is a passionate supporter of many charities, including National Parks and Wildlife Foundation, OZ Harvest, Earth Hour, REAP, NEST and Cure Cancer.
Rodney Dunn
Owner of The Agrarian Kitchen and World Class Chef
Rodney Dunn worked under Tetsuya Wakuda at the Sydney restaurant Tetsuya’s before moving into food media, working as a food researcher for the Better Homes and Gardens television program and as food editor of Gourmet Traveller magazine from 2004-2007.
In order to indulge his passion for growing fruit and vegetables, raising pigs, milking goats and keeping honey bees, Rodney, with his wife Séverine Demanet, moved to Tasmania to open The Agrarian Kitchen Cooking School in Lachlan in Tasmania’s beautiful Derwent Valley in 2008. In 2010, it was voted as Australia’s “Greatest Gourmet Food Experience” by Australian Traveller Magazine.
In June 2017, Rodney and Séverine opened their restaurant, The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery in the Bronte building of nearby New Norfolk’s Willow Court precinct.
After 13 years of operating the cooking school in Lachlan, The Agrarian Kitchen will combine its operations under one roof with part of the Bronte building being renovated to house the cooking school kitchen and the Carlton Exercise yard being developed as The Agrarian Kitchen garden. This is scheduled to open in October 2022.
Rodney has authored two books with Penguin Random House Australia under its Lantern imprint, entitled The Agrarian Kitchen and The Truffle Cookbook.
Damien Coulthard & Rebecca Sullivan
Co-founders of Warndu
Damien Coulthard is an Adnyamathanha person from the Northern Flinders and Gammon Ranges in South Australia; a sacred place of immense social and environmental significance to the Adnyamathanha people.
Damien’s paintings share family narratives that have existed for millennia, embedded in the Yarta (diverse landscapes) as a record and reminder for all diversities and identities of the unique and continuous - spiritual and cultural connection Aboriginal people have to Country.
He has worked as the South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy (SAASTA) Coordinator, at the Elite SAASTA Sports Academy and for the past decade as a teacher at Le Fevre High School with a special focus on supporting and educating Aboriginal students. Damien highlights key elements of successfully working with Aboriginal students as recognition and celebration of cultural identity, as well as developing and nurturing individual interests, broadening knowledge and understanding of career pathways, and providing opportunities to further sporting aspirations, which he also champions in his role as an Educator at the Tjindu Foundation.
Damien was a board member of the South Australian Native Title Service over a six year period; here members work in collaboration to support Aboriginal Nations to achieve Native Title through negotiation and consent, to reach cultural and economic aspirations and firmly establish their community goals of self -determination.
A co-founder of Warndu (the Adnyamathanha word meaning ‘good’), an Aboriginal owned business whose foundation is based on the principle of ‘looking to the past to protect our future.’ Warndu successfully works in partnership with Aboriginal communities & businesses, harvesters, and growers across Australia, to source Native Ingredients and encourage our country to use them in their daily lives. Warndu draws upon the dynamic harvesting and healing practices of the past to open minds and to encourage an interconnection with all people, plants, and the earth. Their mission is to REGENERATE culture, tradition, community, health, seas, and soils.
Rebecca Sullivan is a 2019 YALE University World Fellow. A sustainable living advocate living in the Clare Valley, South Australia in a straw bale home completely off the grid on a 90 acre eco-farm. She is a self-taught cook and has worked with some of the world’s best food producers, academics, activists, and chefs. A food curator, consultant, TV presenter, activist, author, regenerative farmer and social entrepreneur having founded Australian Native wellbeing brand Warndu with her partner Damien. Their Warndu Cookbook was released May 2019 with Hachette. Rebecca has worked on many a projects any food lover would envy, from launching the Real Food Festival in London to being Taste Curator on Slow Food Nation in San Francisco, farming coffee in Uganda to teaching scientists in the Maldives for the United Nations.
Rebecca completed her Masters in International Rural Development, Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture at the Royal Agricultural University in Gloucestershire, UK in 2010, during which she focused on food security and a sustainable food future. Rebecca’s obsession with food began in Italy, so it followed course that she would become interested in the Slow Food Movement in which she spent years being both Youth Ambassador in the UK organising events, campaigns and of course eating.
After a decade working overseas, she has re-settled back in Australia and has launched The Granny Skills Movement – a community-supported movement that aims to protect the skills, heritage and traditions of our elders. As well as this she consults to organisations, running events, catering, education and strategy work in and around the food, environment and lifestyle sectors and sustainability. She teaches Natural Living and Cookery at River Cottage UK and The Agrarian Kitchen in Tasmania as well as part of the Food Entrepreneurship degree at Le Cordon Bleu Australia. Here her focus is ethical food and wine business as well as how to be a sustainable food entrepreneur.
Rebecca is an Author of nine books, ’The Art of Natural’ series were released in May 2018. Her second book, ’The Art of the Natural Home,’ came out in May 2017. 'Like Grandma Used to Make', her first book came out in April 2013 with a huge amount of great press including being listed in the top ten books for Mothers Day in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and Woman’s Day. Wish Magazine in The Australian has called her " A veritable modern day Mrs Beeton.” In 2012, Rebecca signed on as a presenter on Love to Share on the TEN Network in Australia, is guest presenter on ABC Gardening Australia, has appeared regularly on Channel TEN’s The Circle and Breakfast Shows, as well as Channel Nine’s Morning and TODAY show. She is a popular presenter for her simple dishes, great advise and wonderful ideas for a simple sustainable home. Rebecca is also an OZ Harvest, BALL USA, PIRSA Premium Food & Wine and LIFE Education SA Ambassador. She writes for SA Gardens, NITV, ABC Organic Gardener, Junkies, In the Moment, Peppermint, Veggie and Delicious to name a few.
Lou Chalmer
Lou Chalmer is a winemaker and agroecologist based in Western Australia. Her vision is a future in which people live in harmony with one another and nature, through collaboration, cooperation and appreciation of the natural environment. Yume Wines, Lou’s company, makes wines and ambrosias that tell a story of time and place in WA’s south-west.
Lou also consults to a range of clients in different industries, including the honey industry, the hospitality industry and the arts sector, and is partway through a PhD investigating sustainable transformation pathways in the agriculture sector.
Outside of work, she loves to read widely, cook on her hibachi in picturesque settings, paint, and make new friends.
Barney Hannagan
Barney Hannagan grew up in a small outback town called Hawker, located in the heart of the Flinders Ranges in Southern Australia. Barney learned, from a young age, countless lessons in traditional indigenous campfire cooking, bush tucker collecting, and native foraging. The knowledge and skillset that he obtained throughout these formative years gave Barney a wildly unique loyalty to seasonality and sustainability, as well as an unyielding appreciation for diversity of ingredients and flavours.
His professional career began in 2004, and he has since helped successfully open cafes in Australia, The United Kingdom, and The United States of America. With over 18 years of professional hospitality industry experience, Barney’s passion lies within the Australian-style cafe business model and open fire cooking. His menus showcase diverse cultural flavours, vibrant presentation techniques, responsible food sourcing and preparation methods — above all he is passionate about sharing this food experience with others.
Barney spent his first three years in the United States making a splash in the food scene with Proud Mary Coffee (a leading Australian cafe brand and cafe model) in Portland, Oregon, gaining mentions on Food Network, regular features in Eater/Eater PDX lists, and being listed in Bon Appetit Magazine’s top 50 Best New Restaurants in America (2018).
Barney made the move to Austin, Texas, in January 2020 with his wife Jazmine and Tanner the Dog and soon to follow the birth of their daughter Emmylou. Barney wasted no time immersing himself in the Austin food community with invitations to participate in Austin’s hottest food festivals- SXSW, Hot Luck Food and Music and Agave Festival in Marfa, West Texas, to name a few.
In Austin Barney was involved in launching NYC based, Aussie Café brand, Two Hands on South Congress as Executive chef in October of 2020. With the successful management and execution of the food program at Two Hands in Austin, Barney has since moved into the Group Executive Chef roll, which over sees all Two Hands locations. He is the Culinary Director on the operations team which is spearheading the successful presence of Two Hands in the US.
Doogal Hannagan
Doogal Hannagan grew up in Hawker, the hub of the Flinders Ranges. From a very young age Doogal had an interest in food and bush tucker. Doogal learnt many skills from his Adnamatna family through traditional cooking methods and how to hunt ethically and sustainably. Doogal began his cooking career as an apprentice chef at Wilpena Pound Resort in 2000 and soon after seen his relocation to Adelaide to start a whirlwind culinary career working at multiple restaurants throughout the metro area.
In 2013, Doogal was executive Chef at the Prairie Hotel, Parachilna, where he meet his fiancé Louise Lynch. After a few years beginning their life together, Doogal and Louise made their move together to Edinburgh, Scotland, where Doogal was the Head Chef at Badger & Co which involved monitoring many young Chefs. After travelling and immersing himself into the Europe food culture, Doogal then returned home to Hawker and opened Flinders Food Co, with Louise, in 2018. Since opening Flinders Food Co, Doogal has featured in many magazines such as SA Food & Wine, Weekend Australia and The Outback. Doogal prides himself on using SA produce and incorporating native foods into his menus to showcase the beautiful food Australia has to offer. In 2021, Doogal and Louise welcomed their perfect addition to the Flinders Food Co family, Herbert Fleetwood, arriving in style on their busiest weekend of the year, Easter Sunday.
Louise Lynch
Louise Lynch grew up in Leigh Creek, far northern Flinders Ranges. Louise completed all her schooling in Leigh Creek and became a Nurse working at the Leigh Creek Hospital from 2010. Louise grew up learning the ways of Adnamatna culture through her schooling and from her many Aunties and Uncles in the area and has always had a love for campfire cooking and foraging for bush tucker.
When Louise and Doogal met in 2013 sparks flew and their interest soon were all to familiar to them both. Louise moved to Edinburgh, Scotland with Doogal in 2016 where she worked as a Whisky Ambassador for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and enjoyed her time traveling and learning about the food culture of Europe with fiancé Doogal. Louise then opened Flinders Food Co, with Doogal, in 2018 and has never looked back. Louise has a strong influence in creating menus and loves getting creative with native foods. Louise is the face behind all the front and back of house operations at Flinders Food Co and works in perfect harmony with Doogal to showcase how special Australian cuisine truly is.
Tilly Tjala Thomas
Hailing from the Fleurieu Peninsula, emerging songwriter Tilly Tjala Thomas has been writing and performing her own songs around Adelaide since the age of 11.
In late 2021, Tilly was awarded Best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Musician of the Year Award and the Emily Burrows Award at the South Australian Music Industry Awards. This was followed by a Triple J Award, Unearthed Winner for the 2021 NIMA's. She was also the recipient of the Stigwood Fellowship which commenced at the start of 2022.
The music video for ‘Ngana Nyunyi’ directed by Larrakia artist and producer Jimblah, was filmed on Nukunu country in the Southern Flinders and tells the storyline of the song. Tilly states “It started as a game that my dad would use to help my little sister and I learn Nukunu language.” She continues “On long drives Dad would ask, ‘Ngana Nyunyi (what’s that?)’ and we’d reply ‘Nyunyi kulpi/yirta/thartu (that’s a cloud/bird/hill)’.” Tilly’s father would use the exercise as a way to connect his daughters to their culture whilst also instilling a sense of pride in their culture.
Since finishing school in November 2020, Tilly's profile continues to grow and she continues to find her authentic voice.
Christian Hampson
Co-founder and Director of Yerrabingin – Indigenous Design Thinking for Collaborative solutions. A Woiwurrung and Maneroo Aboriginal man interweaving Indigenous tacit knowledge and collaborative design thinking to walk a new path, away from conventional approaches, and create new opportunities for intergenerational capital to allow future Indigenous generations to thrive.
Yerrabingin provides sustainable solutions coupled with cultural connectivity and shared understanding to solve problems within the space of our communities’ social capital potential, through the lens of design thinking.
Yerrabingin has launched the world’s first Indigenous rooftop farm, located high above Sydney on the roof of Yerrabingin House in South Eveleigh with over 2,000 Australian native food plants. Yerrabingin is collaborating with a number of Chefs and restaurants, encouraging a renewed uptake and understanding of delicious and nutritious Australian native foods delivered sustainably. The site also offers workshops on Aboriginal culture, native permaculture, environmental sustainability and physical and mental health and well-being. Yerrabingin is also the 2019 Delicious Outstanding Native Producer Award Winner.
Sonya Rankine
Sonya Rankine is a Ngarrindjeri, Ngadjuri, Narungga & Wirangu artist who has established herself as a weaver under her business name of Lakun Mara. Lakun Mara means 'Weaving Hand' in Ngarrindjeri language. Lakun Mara is weaving + culture and is at the heart of her art that is strongly linked to cultural maintenance, survival and revival. Sonya creates custom made unique Lakun Mara Earrings and commissioned Lakun Mara baskets and wall hangings combining the traditional Ngarrindjeri weaving technique, as well as utilising various other weaving stitches and techniques for her woven creations.
Living on Narungga country in Moonta Bay on the Yorke Peninsula limits her access to traditional reeds from the Coorong and Sonya utilises local natural fibres gathered locally, creating a strong connection toland and natural resources.
Sonya also offers Lakun Mara weaving workshops teaching the traditional Ngarrindjeri & Ngadjuri weaving technique. Workshops are for all ages and can be held in your own home, workplace, school and at community events.
The unique style and expression of Sonya’s art was recognised when Sonya was awarded the 2019 Our Mob Exhibition Don Dunstan Foundation Emerging Artist Prize, the 2021 SA NAIDOC Artist of the Year & exhibiting artist in Tarnanthi 2021 at the ArtGallery of SA.
Samorn Sanixay
Samorn Sanixay is weaver and natural dyer based in Canberra, Australia. Samorn has twenty years of experience and first learned traditional Lao textile techniques back in 2002 with village weavers in Laos. These traditions have been passed down from generation to generation for many centuries are still very much practiced in Laos today.
She was an apprentice to Master weaver Khaisy Sophabmixay who is from Sam Neua, a town in northern Laos that is famous for its intricate weavings. Samorn and Khaisy then set up Eastern Weft, a weaving cooperative based in Vientiane, Laos that supports disadvantaged young people of ethnic minorities in Laos.
Eastern Weft has produced textiles for many well known fashion designers and has exhibited in Paris and Japan. In 2019, won an award for Best Supplementary Weft textiles at the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) Textile Awards.
Upon returning to Australia in 2007, Samorn adapted the 'local and seasonal’ philosophy to her work and has been experimenting with local Australian plants ever since.
It wasn’t until moving to the foothills of Mount Majura in Canberra that she began a deep appreciation for eucalyptus trees. Some species are native to the local area. Samorn is one of three Eucalypt Australia, Dahl Fellowships for 2022, where she will travel around Australia to do a colour study of eucalyptus leaves as dyes.
Max Savage & The False Idols
Max Savage and the False Idols is an Americana/Soul/Country band lead by Max McHenry.
The band was a featured artist at Bands on the Track at the Clipsal 500 event in 2014 alongside Kaurna Cronin, Guy Sebastian & Keith Urban. They also performed at WOMADelaide in 2015 and took out 'Best Country Artist' at the 2016 SAM Awards.
Vintage soul meets the outback with beautifully crafted songs from the central desert. Stories of heartbreak, loneliness and redemption, are the stock of a band that plays music of a kind not heard in Australia for a very, very long time.
Nick Ryan
An old Port Augusta boy who found himself thrown out of university for not going much, Nick Ryan used the knowledge he’d gained raiding his old man’s cellar to land a job with one of Sydney’s leading wine merchants.
Realising that writing about it was easier than lifting it has led him to where he is now. He’s the wine columnist for The Australian and The World of Fine Wine, a regular contributor to The Halliday Wine Companion Magazine and The Robb Report, and he writes a weekly column musing on life for Adelaide’s Sunday Mail.
Now based in the Clare Valley, Nick is excited by wines that are just as interesting by the fourth glass as they are at the first and would give it all up to play one game for the Port Adelaide Football Club.
Michael Brine
Executive Chef / Owner “A Touch of Salt Restaurant”
Michael Brine is the Owner and Executive Chef of A Touch of Salt Restaurant located in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The name of the restaurant is a play on the family name Brine and began as a family business in 2005 with genuine family hospitality remaining the heart of A Touch of Salt. They have spent the last 17 years crafting the restaurant as one of Queensland’s Best and they have been recognised and awarded on a national level. Including:
- One Chef Hat by the Australian Good Food Guide for 7 years 2016 till 2021
- The Open Table Top 50 Restaurants in Australia for 4 years 2018 till 2021
- TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame 2018 and Certificate of Excellence for 10 years from 2012 – 2021
Michael has represented his city in the culinary field twice in South Korea (Suwon) and hosted international chefs at A Touch of Salt and has been involved with the Chef Outta Water program in USA (Oregon), China (Foshan and Changshu), Australia (Townsville and South Australia).
Mark Tucek
Founder of the Tucker Bush project
Mark Tucek is a certified horticulturist and nursery professional, having started his career at Kalamunda-based Domus Nursery in 1983, before expanding his knowledge in leading retail garden centres and allied businesses over the next 30 years.
Mark founded the Tucker Bush project, first, to popularise and make available native edibles in our modern lifestyle and cuisine — both through home growing and gourmet cooking. Second, to help young Australians grow up with a stronger connection to nature and their food supply. And third, to influence a cultural shift that contributes to preserving Australia’s food security and biodiversity through growing species that thrive in our soils and climate.
Since the project’s inception, Mark has built a national network of partners and allies in the nursery industry, food industry, education sector and horticultural media space. He frequently appears on local radio programs, like ABC’s “Roots and Shoots” with Sabrina Hahn, regularly attends Nursery & Garden Industry events, and is a member of the Horticultural Media Association (WA).
In 2018, he published a cookbook to raise funds for the Tucker Bush Schools Program. “Cooking with Bush Tucker” features contributions from renowned chefs throughout Australia and is available for purchase via the Tucker Bush website.
Kate Walsh
Author of "Real Food Projects"
Kate is an entrepreneur and sustainable food advocate putting the spotlight on simple ways we can change the way we cook, shop and think about food.
Her passion led to her to write a cookbook - Real Food Projects with Murdoch Press in 2016, establish cooking schools teaching thousands of people to cook from scratch, and create inspiring events that support communities and businesses who are actively changing the way we eat - for the better.
Jess Hodge
Landscape architect, Urban designer and Master Chef contestant
Jess is a registered landscape architect and urban designer, come chef. Her love of the natural and cultural landscape of Australia has translated into food through a consideration and interest in ingredient provenance, sustainable harvesting and a growing appreciation of the unique beauty and taste of native ingredients. For Jess, cooking was originally an escape from her day job, but over time the similarities between cooking and design became apparent and now each greatly influence each other.
Following her appearance on MasterChef, Jess travelled around Australia with her family meeting with Indigenous chefs and knowledge holders to learn about Country, the wealth of food that Country provides and traditional methods for preparing and cooking with ingredients from around Australia.
Jess is an Associate Director of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design with design advisory company, Yerrabingin. She hosts pop up food events featuring native ingredients and enjoys finding the balance between food and landscape.
Mike & Gayle Quarmby
Creators of the "Outback Pride Project"
Mike and Gayle Quarmby created the Outback Pride Project in 2001, and from their commercial propagating nursery at Reedy Creek in the SE of South Australia they grew and planted 500,000 native food plants for production gardens they set up on 36 remote Aboriginal communities. This project involved up to 3,000 Indigenous people.
They undertook extensive R & D on native foods species selection, adaption of commercial production systems, harvest - post harvest handling and supply chain development, as well as marketing. At that time, Outback Pride Fresh was sending 1 tonne of native food products each week to around 800 chefs nationally. In 2018, they handed their 3 businesses into Indigenous ownership and retired to the Adelaide Hills.
Mike and Gayle are still involved on an advisory capacity to local Aboriginal groups and help with the supply of quality plants.
Peter Cunningham
Founder and Managing Director (Wattle Seeds Australia)
Peter Cunningham is a respected world authority for edible Australian wattle seeds and has been working primarily on the genetic resource acquisition, selection and domestication of many target species in a range of projects in East and West Africa and Australia for the last 20 years.
Peter grew up on a horticultural property (Citrus, Vines) in Sunraysia, NW Victoria and completed a B. Agri. Sci. (1983) and M. Agri. Sci. (1989) at Melbourne Uni. His Thesis- the Rhizobium requirements of Trifolium resupinatum (Persian clover) led to a new commercial inoculant. He worked as a Research Agronomist and Plant Breeder at the DPI, Hamilton (1983-96) and led Australia’s Perennial ryegrass breeding program resulting in the release of Avalon and Fitzroy perennial ryegrass cultivars.
Between 2000-2010, Peter worked in Rural Development amongst the Hausa and Fulani people with Simaid an NGO in Niger Republic, West Africa. This project pioneered the use of edible Australian wattle seed for human food and multi-purpose use in collaboration with the CSIRO. Peter developed farming systems to incorporate the Australian wattles to restore degraded lands, produce sustainable fuelwood and improve food security. The results of these programs were shared at International Conferences and Symposia (Bamako, Mali- 2004; Arusha, Tanzania- 2008; Fort Myers, USA- 2009; Alice Springs, Australia- 2011; New Delhi, India- 2014: World Agroforestry Congress; Mekelle, Ethiopia- 2014.
Since 2010, Peter has been based at Tarrington, SW Victoria and worked as a Project advisor/Consultant for Simaid and World Vision in Aust., Niger, Ghana, Senegal and Ethiopia.
More recently he has specialised in Native food (esp. Wattle seed) production/consultancy in Australia and from 2016 established a wide range of Wattle trials/orchards across south eastern Australia. A wide and growing network of landholders, environmental specialists (Cassinia), researchers (Universities), institutions (Agriculture Victoria; Catchment Management Authorities), Indigenous groups, the Australian Native Food & Botanicals (ANFAB) and colleagues (e.g. Wattle We Eat) have come together to accelerate the emerging Wattle seed industry.
Alby Trotta
Flinders Gin - Owner and distiller
Officially opened on June 5, 2021, Flinders Gin is still a new addition to the vibrantly rich Flinders Ranges but has been many passionate years in the making.
Owner and now distiller Alby Trotta, a baker by trade, has always been fascinated in the simple, yet powerful ingredient yeast and what else can be made from it – including alcohol which can be distilled into gin. While he enjoyed the baking industry, he thought it was time for a change and took his fascination further. While on holidays in Italy’s south, he was able to understand how his ancestors used seasonal local herbs to infuse flavour and learnt how to make amaro, which has a similar process to gin making. From this, his love for gin and distilling was born and Alby went on to hone his skills at a master distiller’s course in the UK.
Born and bred in Kapunda, Alby, established the Flinders Gin distillery with his wife of 25 years, Leah, in a restored farrier and stable, just a few streets away from her paternal grandmother’s Quorn birthplace. While the brand aims to bring an element of rustic luxury to the outback through authentic tastes and unique experiences, it also commemorates both sides of his family’s heritage and brings focus to the beauty and vibrancy of the region, providing consumers with unique enjoyment and localised experiences through products.
The Flinders Gin tasting experience with Alby welcomes regional visitors who will come as strangers and leave as friends with authentic stories and personable experiences. The South Australia Outback, the rich and raw culture, and the unique tastes found in the region, make Quorn the perfect place to relax and enjoy Flinders Gin.
Neville Bonney
Neville Bonney is a South Australian native plant expert, ethnobotanist and published author. One recent book was published in 2013 and focused on Australia's native peach, the quandong.
Bonney is an advocate for the commercialisation of useful indigenous flora, including wattleseed, and has promoted the production and development of markets for bush foods in Australia and beyond.
He is Author of nine bush food books with over sixty years experience in the industry.
Lachlan Jeffries
Executive Chairman of the Jeffries Group
Lachlan is Executive Chairman at the Jeffries Group.
The Jeffries family have their hands in South Australian soil for generations, growing strong since 1842. Jeffries are passionate about creating value from organic resources, many of these organic resources until recently were lost to landfill.
The team at Jeffries delivers premium compost, soil, mulch and fertiliser for farmers, viticulturists, landscapers and home gardeners.
Lachlan is a proud Dad of two awesome kids and when not running them around he can be found in his veggie garden.
Carole-Lee Gordon
Founder of BIN SHIFT
“As caretakers of the Earth, it is our responsibility to dispose of the waste we create in a conscious and sustainable manner. That means we need to reduce valuable recyclable and compostable resources going to landfill and improve recycling to build a circular economy.”
Carole Gordon – Founder of BIN SHIFT.
Carole Gordon is a South Australian mother of two on a mission to save the planet, one bin at a time. BIN SHIFT was created when Carole’s passion for sustainability and unique professional skillset were combined.
After the ABC’s 2017 series, War on Waste, exposed the alarming statistics of Australia’s waste problem, Carole and her family became serious about their bins. Choosing not to contribute to those statistics, her family began separating their household waste, finding a recycling stream for almost all of it. In a short space of time, they stopped using their landfill bin. Once their household waste management was more sustainable, Carole’s attention turned to their workplaces and schools that produced excessive and unnecessary waste landfill. That’s when BIN SHIFT was born and we’ve been helping schools and workplaces manage their waste sustainably ever since.
Founded in Adelaide in 2018, BIN SHIFT designs and manufactures awesome and engaging waste separation bins and teaches you how and why to use them. Every day we empower more individuals, groups and organisations across Australia to achieve their environmental goals.
Amanda Garner
General Manager of First Nations Bushfood & Botanicals Alliance Australia “FNBBAA”
Amanda is the General Manager of First Nations Bushfood & Botanicals Alliance Australia “FNBBAA” First Nation's voice leading national conversations and change across the bushfood and botanical industry.
As a country girl and a Chef by trade her passion for new product development, economic development, and new industry in rural and remote regions of Australia has been at the forefront in her professional life for the past 12 years.
She has been a dedicated advocate for the Australian Native Foods industry over the last 12 years and has been a long-standing Director of the ANFAB Board up until 2020. Amanda’s background is in Food Product Development, Marketing and Advertising. She has worked in food and agribusiness: from broadacre farming to corporate catering and event management. She was involved with the Australian Grand Prix (part of the team that brought the Grand Prix to Melbourne) and the Sydney Olympics.
Amanda is a 2015 Australian Rural Women’s Victorian Award Finalist; 2013 Australian Rural Leadership Trailblazers Course Fellow; 2013 Agri-food Skills Australia International Fellowship’; a recent AICD Course participant.
Her family has been involved in farming for over 140 years, and Amanda and her family have a property in western Victoria.
Travis Thomas
Travis Thomas is currently serving as a Director in the Nukunu Wapma Thura Aboriginal Corporation & as Chair of the First Nations of South Australia Aboriginal Corporation.
He has been advocating and assisting in the facilitation of cultural burning & sharing of First Nations fire practices in South Australia. Travis has completed studies in Applied Science in Conservation & Park Management. He has operational experience working in Defence & the Emergency Services.
Travis has also served as a Volunteer Firefighter for over 20 years and has experience in firefighting operations & command & control at significant fire within South Australia & interstate.