AUSTRALIAN ALMOND
CONFERENCE
Oh , what a night !
THE almond industry ’ s night of nights culminated in the conference ’ s gala dinner , with a night of wining and dining enjoyed by the 450-plus attendees . It was a magnificent backdrop for cocktails before the main event with the River Torrens and Adelaide Oval in full view . Some of the industry ’ s finest were celebrated , with the late John Bird receiving a Hall of Fame induction posthumously and Michelle Wirthensohn honoured as a Contribution to Industry . John Bird ’ s proud family were in attendance and were clearly moved by the video tribute to the almond industry powerhouse . Michelle Wirthensohn was on hand to receive her award , with the announcement followed by a standing ovation from the crowd . Attendees were entertained during the night by guest speaker Simon Kuestenmacher and musical duo Ben Whittington and Sarah Day .
establishing a processing and marketing division . To provide the necessary investment required for more extensive orchard projects , the company formed a strategic alliance with Timbercorp Limited to develop and manage almond orchards for investors which resulted in over 40,000 acres ( 16,187 hectares ) of new almond orchards . It was the dawn of a new era for Australian almonds raising production to global significance . By 2004 , Select Harvests Limited managed around 65 % of Australia ’ s almond orchards and was in the top five growers internationally . John shared his enthusiasm and expertise as an active member of the Australian Almond Growers Association setting the Almond Industry Marketing Committee on solid foundations , and later leading the newly structured Almond Board of Australia as Chairman from 2007 to 2009 . In the latter part of his career , John had broadened his involvement in the almond industry as Sales Manager of Bright Light Australian Almonds , Non-Executive Director of Langdon Group , Director of 1DAY Pty Ltd Agribusiness Consultancy , and Director of Almond Investors Limited . He will be remembered with much admiration by his nut industry colleagues and friends in Australia and internationally . industry . australianalmonds . com . au
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