OUR  COMMITTEE

With a robust background spanning 21 years in Finance and Governance roles within Not-for-Profit and Membership organisations, Melanie has nearly completed her Master of Business Administration at ECU. She has dedicated the past 14 years to executive positions at WAFarmers, specialising in finance, strategy, and leadership. In her various roles, Melanie has gained considerable proficiency in financial management, corporate governance, and strategic leadership at a Board level. She is well-prepared to apply these skills to propel BICWA to new heights.

As an amateur beekeeper, Kate is eager to support BICWA by applying her professional expertise to an industry she’s passionate about. Her commercial career has given her deep knowledge of supply chains, wholesale buying, and land use challenges in WA. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors with a master’s in business management, Kate brings both enthusiasm and a pragmatic approach to her work, driven by her love for WA’s environment and food systems.

David Routley's journey in the beekeeping industry started four years ago with his son’s interest and employment as a beekeeper, the purchase of two hives, networking with other beekeepers and ultimately the purchase of a small beekeeping business. David has a keen interest in learning the best practices in beekeeping and to continue to developing skills to improve his beekeeping business into a ‘first class’ concern. All areas of beekeeping are of interest to David but is really interested in research and adoption and resource and biosecurity.

Mikey Cernotta is the owner of The Pemberton Honey Company and a commercial beekeeper who produces and packs monofloral honey from all over the South West. Having established himself as a strong advocate for resource security within the industry, Mikey has taken an active role in campaigning against the loss of flowering resources in forests, woodlands and coastal areas due to logging and prescribed burning. His views on the importance of the WA beekeeping industry go much further than just the honey produced, a major focus of his is educating the broader public and agricultural industries on the intrinsic link between forests, bees and food security.

Michael, General Manager of Western Honey Supplies—a joint venture between the Spurge family and Hive and Wellness—is focused on globalizing high-value Western Australian honey markets. He's determined to solidify BICWA's position as the leading advocate for the WA honeybee industry. Michael aims to rally commercial operators to support BICWA, ensuring ample funding to advocate for industry growth. His emphasis lies in lobbying government, agencies, and relevant interest groups, particularly in matters of biosecurity and apiary site management, to foster a thriving industry.

I started in 2019, supporting BICWA to organise the yearly Conference. My background is organisation and project management. I joined an exciting & sustainable industry lead by a motivated and divers board! I see the most significant opportunity to promote the outstanding WA honey product on local and international markets. We can achieve this by working collaboratively, educating the consumers to raise the WA honey profile and supporting local beekeeping.

Brendon is a 4th generation beekeeper and with his business partner, they work around 1300 bee hives. Their main business is honey production but they have started to venture into pollination of blueberries, almonds and avocados, as well as sending package bees to Canada. Since 2018 Brendon has actively been involved as a director and Chairperson of BICWA. The Bee Industry deserves to be looked after by passionate and dedicated people. There is still a lot to be done, and together, we can shape the future of this wonderful sustainable industry!

Simon is enthusiastic about enhancing our industry, leveraging his background as a former mining professional turned beekeeper to bring valuable expertise to the table. Mentored by seasoned beekeepers, he understands the needs and potential for industry development. Simons aim to represent WA beekeepers, promoting and building the BICWA brand is his focus, as well as constructing a stronger bee industry, fostering a culture of collaboration, and establishing an information highway for member input and success. Together, he believes, we can create a thriving and interconnected beekeeping community.