During the year we’ve met some inspirational business people from a variety of industries. Here are some of the most popular stories.
16. State award proof of ‘the right track’ for South Coast business that (literally) went underwater
by Claire Sams
Beneath the Bay, a Eurobodalla business, set out to show the world what’s underneath the region’s waterways. Photo: NSW Tourism Awards 2024 – Power Creative.
Few people can say their job gives them a chance to swim with sharks, but that’s the reality for former builders Michael and Tammy Bellette, who launched Beneath the Bay, a dive business in Batemans Bay.
15. New Snowy Valleys venture connects visiting thrill-seekers and explorers with local business
by Chris Roe
A new marketing push aims to connect adventurers with local businesses in the Snowy Valleys. Photo: Visit Snowy Valleys.
Businesses in the Snowy Valleys are setting their sights on the lucrative adventure tourism market with a new campaign aimed at helping locals connect with visiting thrill-seekers and explorers.
14. New singing school makes sure young Queanbeyan talent can hit the right notes
by Claire Sams
Deb Rogers says Queanbeyan has a keen audience of kids looking to move into professional performing – and she’s there to teach them what they need to know. Photo: Jo Bowden Bloom Photography.
Opera singer and teacher Deb Rogers has performed for Australian and international audiences, including alongside Michael Bublé, but she has now turned her attention to teaching full-time in Queanbeyan.
13. Billson’s Brewery survives liquidation after creditors throw the drinks brand a lifeline
by Chris Roe
Nathan and Felicity Cowan announced on social media that Billson’s would continue. Photo: Facebook.
Beechworth’s iconic drinks brand Billson’s Beverages Pty Ltd looks set to avoid liquidation after creditors voted to keep the battling brewery alive.
12. Saddle fitting sees local business ‘balance the whole lot’ in more ways than one
by Claire Sams
While saddle fitting might seem like a niche business, Paula Jeffrey said there had been a strong response across Australia since she started her business 10 years ago. Photo: Performance Saddlefits.
The question of resilience is something Paula Jeffrey knows well. In the past decade, she’s built a successful franchise business that operates around Australia – but it all started in Yass Valley.
11. A fresh initiative shaping Tumbarumba’s future for visitors and locals alike
by Edwina Mason
A stunning new booklet spruiking the best of what the Tumbarumba region has to offer is the first initiative of The Collective Road, a brainwave business venture of four local people determined to see their part of Snowy Valleys thrive. Photo: The Collective Road.
Tumbarumba, that hidden gem in the NSW Snowy Valleys, has unveiled an exciting new initiative that invites travellers to immerse themselves in the charm of the Australian countryside, discover its deep Indigenous heritage, and embrace a slower, more relaxed pace of life.
10. Bilbul’s Crowley family continue legacy as Riverina’s oldest rice farm turns 100
by Oliver Jacques
Nathan, Margo and Gerard Crowley on the farm where rice was first grown in the Riverina. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Exactly 100 years since the first rice crop was planted in the Riverina, Bilbul’s Crowley family is continuing a legacy pioneered on Farm 344 back in 1924.
9. Meet the Eurobodalla business helping our furry friends eat right
by Claire Sams
Eurobodalla-based Woofalicious Dog Treats Down Under is making sure our furry friends have a good diet – and helping more dogs find loving homes. Photo: Kerry Dawson.
South Coast woman Natisha Field believes pooches deserve quality meals instead of the rubbish that’s in today’s dog food – so she set out to make some.
8. Greenethorpe wheat producers clinch trifecta of state wins with their top crops
by Edwina Mason
The wheat growers’ night of nights saw Mandy and Rob Taylor of Greenethorpe take out the state title for the third consecutive year. Pictured are (from left) Jill Chapman, Brendan Munn, Mandy and Rob Taylor, Jenny Taylor, Dugald Saunders and Youseff Fare. Photo: AgShows NSW.
Greenthorpe wheat growers Rob and Mandy Taylor have achieved an outstanding feat by clinching the prestigious AgShows NSW Suncorp Bank Championship Dryland Field Wheat Competition state title for the third consecutive year.
7. Wagga company rolls out world-first ‘smart antennas’ amid 3G shutdown
by Chris Roe
Zetifi founder and CEO Dan Winson (right) is taking his Wagga-made technology to the world. Photo: Supplied.
Wagga Wagga-based tech company Zetifi is stepping in to help cover the telecommunication gap anticipated by the upcoming shutdown of the 3G network.
6. Op shopping at Vinnies returns to Bega as popular branch reopens
by Claire Sams
The Vinnies Bega store has reopened – and the call has gone out for more helping hands. Photo: Mary Nugent.
Vinnies Bega has reopened after closing its doors last year and is looking for more people willing to roll up their sleeves and volunteer.
5. Ducks beat a path to better soil before leaving for dinner
by John Thistleton
Free-range ducks approaching the size at which they are killed and dressed, ready for Sydney’s hatted restaurants. Photo: Tathra Place Free Range.
Taralga free-range farmers Luke and Pia Winder are on an unconventional journey to make a living, using ducks and pigs to fertilise, turn and repair soil while producing food for top Sydney restaurants.
4. Mark Giddings still fitting the best dressed men in town
by John Thistleton
Behind the counter of his menswear shop Mark Giddings never tires of meeting people new to Goulburn. Photo: John Thistleton.
Running a measuring tape over men’s fashions for the past six decades, Goulburn’s Mark Giddings says quality fibres like wool and tweed have earned their keep and still look good on the men wearing them.
3. Bridge closure batters Bermagui businesses
by Marion Williams
Bermagui’s main street remains quiet after Wallaga Lake Bridge was closed from 29 April to 26 May. Photo: Marion Williams.
Accommodation providers, eateries and retailers were among those businesses to suffer a loss in trade following the recent closure of the Wallaga Lake Bridge – and it’s set to close again.
2. Family builds swift bridge into the huge US infrastructure market
by John Thistleton
Logan Mullaney in Colorado in front of a bridge InQuik is replacing after it was washed out. Photo: InQuik.
Bridges large and small have traditionally taken a long time to build and are very expensive. Experimenting on a farm in Goulburn, a family came up with an innovation to build them quickly and word swiftly spread.
1. Zantis family’s sparkling service in Goulburn for two generations
by John Thistleton
Peter Zantis with the original watchmaking hammer his father Ange Zantis made when he was 16. Part of the watchmaker’s apprenticeship was making some of the tools. Photo: John Thistleton.
Behind the glittering displays of watches and diamonds, a jeweller and watchmaker has quietly applied precise skills in a delicate trade. But after many decades, Peter and Belinda Zantis are closing their long-running jeweller’s shop in Goulburn.
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