Lindsay Bourke AM

Lindsay Bourke AM has been growing and harvesting honey from bees in Tasmania for more than 40 years.  

“There is nothing better than opening up a bee hive after two weeks on the leatherwood and seeing it full of beautiful honey and pure white wax.” 

“I have a burning desire to nurture my beehives throughout the hard Tasmanian seasons so that they can achieve full strength and undertake good pollination and honey harvests.” 

An innovator and leader in the Australian honey bee industry, Mr Bourke has served on industry bodies as well as building his own company’s hives in Tasmania. His company has been one of the country’s major multi-variety crop pollinators, servicing crops including apple, pear, blue berries, clover, carrots, cherries, chicory, fennel, lucerne, onions and many varieties of brassicas, illustrating the vital importance of bees in our food supply.  

While Chairman of the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council an alliance was formed with Plant Health Australia that resulted in all pollination dependent industries sharing the costs of rapid responses to, and the control and eradication of, Emergency Plant Pests (EPPs). This means a more effective biosecurity response is possible across the sector, such as with the current risk from the Varroa mite’s potential to damage our bee populations. 

Mr Bourke has also been actively engaged in developing and embracing training programs to support future generations of beekeepers, training more local staff to Certificate III in Beekeeping than any beekeeping firm in Australia. 

He says he is driven to continue adopting innovation to produce high quality honey for local and international markets. 

“But I did not expect this nomination. I am very proud and humbled to be recognised for the hard work and passion that I have put into the beekeeping industry.” 

“My sincere thanks to whoever nominated me.”