HoneyBee Hives Shines as Finalist in 2023 Australian Rural Business Awards

HoneyBee Hives, a prominent fgure in the Australian beekeeping industry, is proud to announce their selection as fnalists in an impressive six categories of the 2023 Australian Rural Business Awards. This esteemed recognition includes nominations in the Australian Made Small Business Excellence Award, Positive Impact (Making a Difference) Award, Rural Business to Watch Award, Excellence in e-Commerce Award, Micro Business Excellence Award, and Overcoming Odds Award.

Owned by Scott Richardson and Di McQueen-Richardson, HoneyBee Hives is a successful commercial beekeeping enterprise located in Coutts Crossing. They offer a wide range of products and services, including bees, beekeeping equipment and training, all-natural, beeswaxbased balms, educational experiences, and beethemed workshops for all ages.

They recently won three 1st and three 2nd places at the Grafton Agricultural Show for their raw honey and took out the coveted “Best Exhibit” for a frame of honeycomb. Di McQueen-Richardson, from HoneyBee Hives, expressed her exhilaration at being named a fnalist in all six nominated categories. She shared, “We are truly honored to receive this remarkable recognition for our achievements, especially given the caliber of other businesses nominated. Last year, we were also fnalists in all nominated categories and secured the second-place position in the Excellence in e-Commerce Award. This year, we are hopeful to win the trophy.”

Over the past few years, HoneyBee Hives has faced extraordinary challenges, including devastating bushfres, major foods, the impact of the COVID pandemic, and the threat of the Varroa mite. Despite these adversities, the business has shown resilience, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to promoting sustainable beekeeping and raising awareness about the vital role of bees in our ecosystem.

HoneyBee Hives is now calling for your support to claim the prestigious People’s Choice Award. This award holds tremendous signifcance as it refects the collective voice of the community. Your vote can make a meaningful impact on their journey, especially for a small business in the Clarence Valley.

Simply follow the provided link and cast your vote to help propel HoneyBee Hives towards this esteemed honor. Your support will be greatly appreciated and will contribute to their mission of sustainable beekeeping and positive impact.

Visit www. honeybeehives.com.au for the link to cast your vote. The Australian Rural Business Awards are presented by Australia’s leading online marketplace for rural

Rural Business Awards are shining a light on what small businesses in rural/regional Australia are achieving in business excellence, innovation and sustainability, new business, Australian made and e-commerce. After the success of its inaugural event last year where hundreds of businesses put their hand up for nomination, the awards are once again response to the awards and are so excited to see how many businesses have been involved. “There is nothing that gives us greater joy than seeing businesses from the bush succeed and to see their passion and determination shine through. We’re also so thankful to our amazing sponsors who have also been inspired by many of our fnalists’ journeys”, say Jenn Donovan and Sarah Britz.

The winners of The Australian Rural Business Awards for 2023 will and regional small businesses Spend With Us (www.spendwithus. com.au) to celebrate, highlight, and recognise the absolute talent that exists out there in rural and regional Australia.

For the second year running the Australian bringing out the best of rural and regional Australia. Designed to acknowledge the strength, resilience, and talent of small business owners in rural and regional areas, the awards recognise that businesses in these areas have been through it all including droughts, bushfres, mouse plagues, foods, a lack of tourism and a global pandemic in the past few years alone. It can be challenging to be a successful small business in rural and regional Australia, and community plays an enormous part in that success. Di McQueenRichardson believes that community has played an enormous part in their business success including Read more at https://www.spendwithus. com.au/the-australianrural-business-awards/

The founders of Spend

With Us have been overwhelmed by the be announced during an online event on Friday 23rd June 2023 from 7.30 pm. The keynote speaker for the night will be bestselling author Andrew Griffths with another speaker yet to be confrmed. Tickets on sale now for $11 and can be purchased here: https://events.humanitix. com/the-2023-australianrural-business-awards (You don’t have to be a fnalist to attend!)

For more information on the Australian Rural Business Awards please visit https://www. spendwithus.com.au/ the-australian-ruralbusiness-awards/

It’s ‘Leemo Cat’ back. ank the Lord (and the lovely Veterinary people) my health is improving daily. To-day I even did a ni y frisk. I used to do swi frisks from our front door, over the grass to the Jacaranda tree and climb to great heights. To-day I only ‘frisked’ and decided it was enough. I’ve had time to think about a lot about ‘stu ’ lately, and asked ‘Mum Jane’ a VIP question. ‘Mum, how come I haven’t heard the frightful complaining you normally go on about with your KNEE pain in days? During my long con nement with ginormous unwellness (and ‘probly delirium) did you per chance, just go out and get a NEW knee without even telling me? What’s the story Mum?’ Oooh, she kinda went into a ‘pondering’ state, but a er a while she did respond to my question. ‘Well, Leems, rstly, NO, I assuredly did not leave your bed side to zip out and buy a new knee. I actually still do have the old one. I did HOWEVER, whilst keeping a 24 hour vigil at your sick bed all these weeks, do lots of reading. Have you, Leems, in YOUR own wide and informed reading, come across ‘ e Distraction eory of Pain?’ I frankly felt this was a truly ridiculous question to ask me. Mum should know by now toward what genre my reading tastes lean. ey may indeed include the word ‘Distraction’ but there is a snowball’s chance in hell of me reading anything with the word PAIN in the title. (Or THEORY for that matter!) My preferences go toward ‘Bluey’s 1st Encounter with a Cat’. I relayed this to Mum who looked rather crestfallen, but then she kinda smiled and told me ‘that’s OK my ‘Lil Buddie, you can always catch up on your reading can’t you, now that you are feeling much better?’ OMG NOOOO! She blithely continued on before I could even think of an informed reciprocation. ‘Leems, the ‘Distraction eory of Pain’ kinda means that the brain can be used to focus on something else. is is exactly what happened with me and my knee pain when you became unwell. My total mind focus was centred on looking a er you and getting you better, so my pain was isolated to my heart and emotions, NOT my crappy knee.

E.g., my knee pain was kinda relegated to the ‘background’ in my thinking and feeling. Does this make sense to you my beautiful boy?’

(I’ll tell you something else Leems, one of my sisters had been overseas. She called me when she got back and asked how my knee was? Her question made me acutely aware that I had truly ‘forgotten’ about my knee pain whilst you were so unwell.) is may, Leems, be only a ‘temporary’ feeling of ease with my knee, but I certainly was distracted from it during your time of need. Hmmm? I was a little perplexed about all this and felt I should have a small meditative rest before our conversation should continue. I awoke from my repose to hear Mum telling me. ‘Leems, here’s a book for you to read by Norman Doidge, ‘ e Brain’s Way of Healing’. Well, I tell you. I frisked like a champion and was up HIGH in that Jacaranda in 4 seconds. Nite, (& purrsies) Leemo.