POMEWEST awards
Pomewest proudly congratulates our local award winners at the National APAL Award Presentation evening in Melbourne 2 June 2024
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Words Nardia Stacy, Executive Manager, Pomewest
WA Winners Joy Jarvis and Steele Jacob.
THE WA apple and pear industry is overjoyed that local heroes Joy Jarvis and Steele Jacob DPIRD were recognised and won awards in early June as significant contributors to the national apple and pear industry. They have been featured in detailed articles in the APAL publication Australian Fruit Grower Winter Edition 2024 written by Judy Kennedy, which can be viewed online at https://apal. org.au/news-and-resources/apal-publications/
Joy Jarvis — Women in Horticulture
WA Women in Horticulture.
Joy’s dedication and reputation as an industry favourite and living legend have now been deservedly acknowledged. For decades, she has been Prime Organic’s guiding light and backbone, tirelessly supporting the farm and the whole Jarvis family. She has witnessed firsthand all the challenges of the land and farming, both good and bad, over the years. Yet, she still loves her role and serves as an ambassador and mentor for all women in the horticulture industry.
“ As a fruit grower, mother, grandmother, and packhouse manager, Joy was surprised to receive such an award. She believes resilient women still have many opportunities to work in the apple industry. ”
Presenting Joy her award, APAL CEO Phil Turnbull and Chair Reg Weine.
Presenting award to Steele, APAL CEO Phil Turnbull.
Joy and her son Jason manage Prime Organics, the family fruit-growing business situated at Donnybrook. Joy has long supported her family by managing the packhouse, office, and staff. Her late husband, Henry, represented the apple industry and introduced Pink Lady® apples in the United Kingdom and Taiwan. Her son, Jason, is her business partner and manages the orchard and cattle on the farm. She’s proud that the whole farm is now organic and quite satisfied knowing that their product is the healthiest it can be.
Joy is hands-on, driving forklifts, managing staff employment and training, quality assurance, bookkeeping, and packing fruit. Prime Organics hosted the Future Orchards® harvest orchard walk this year, and Joy opened her home for the event. She also volunteers to support Certified Organic Biodynamic WA (COBWA) on stalls annually at Balingup Small Farm Field Day and the Donnybrook Apple Festival.
Well, deserved, and well done Joy!
Steele Jacob — Research & Extension Provider of the Year
Steele Jacob, a mild-mannered DPIRD employee based in Manjimup, was awarded the Research and Extension Provider of the Year. His ability to engage with and earn the trust of apple growers in Western Australia and the rest of the country is his superpower. He considers seeing the ANABP 01A variety apple branded as Bravo® and Soluna™ on domestic and international retail shelves the most exciting moment of his career. This came after many painstaking years of careful development and cultivation by the Australian National Breeding Program team located in Manjimup.
“ I remember ANABP 01A as two trees first fruited in our apple breeding block in 2002. We all noted, ‘Wow, this is a really dark apple, and it tastes good; let’s keep an eye on it. ”
Steele is happy but believes the entire team deserves the award. He will celebrate the win with all his co-workers and the DPIRD executive management. Rohan Prince, Director of Horticulture at DPIRD, was also present at the award ceremony and was delighted to witness Steele being acknowledged on the National stage.
Both Steele and Rohan believe the breeding program’s success is still yet to be fully realised. The Western Australian breeding program’s reputation is bolstered with each successful apple variety it releases. More apple varieties are currently undergoing final evaluation, and because they are bred for Australian conditions and well tested, they are likely to be attractive to growers. They hope for similar success to that of Cripps Pink and ANABP 01A , and with Steele and the team in the mix, that is very possible.