Her Excellency the Honourable Kerry Sanderson AC Governor of WA visited the South West last week to meet with local government officials and representatives from various sectors of the community.
Among the stops on the tour was the Augusta Marina, where Ms Sanderson met with Ocean Grown Abalone’s Brad Adams and the team to discover the abalone ranching industry.
“It is very exciting to be here today to learn more about what Brad and his team are doing in this wonderful part of the world,” she said.
“It’s very important that we understand these growing industries to better support them as they expand and develop, and seeing the operations firsthand is very much a part of that.
Mr Adams said the visit was a show of support for the industry and for regional development. “To be recognised by the Governor as a new and thriving business is great – we’re happy to show anyone the business,” he said. “We’ve just completed our IPO raising, so the money’s there and we should be trading in a couple of weeks, and it was well over-subscribed.
“It gives us the opportunity to build the facility here which we’re hoping to start in January, good times for Augusta!”
Mr Adams said the Governor would be getting an up close and personal look at the operations on the trip. “We’re going to go out today and show Her Excellency the area where we grow the abalone on the reefs we’ve built, we’re going to collect a couple of abalone from our divers who are out there, and come back and cook them up.”
It gives us the opportunity to build the facility here which we’re hoping to start in January, good times for Augusta!
- Brad Adams, Ocean Grown Abalone
Ms Sanderson said while she was very familiar with marine industries thanks to her years running Fremantle Ports, she was excited to see the aquaculture industry in action.
“It’s been very hard to get aquaculture working in the past, but this is a very unusual type, so to me that’s fascinating. To see a growth industry is fantastic, and when you are in this part of the world you have the opportunity to meet with the people growing and creating the lovely food and wine we all enjoy.”
The Governor also spent time at schools and businesses around the region as part of her tour.
Nicky Lefebvre
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
