Board Members
Chair : John Olliff
Freshwater Creek Garlic – Freshwater creek, Vic
John has been growing garlic for 10 years, near Geelong in Victoria. Over time he has extended his crop and is now a fully certified organic garlic grower. Prior to growing garlic John had a business in the food service industry, and management experience in both a publicly listed company and a sports management association.
John was fortunate to join the AGIA Board 9 years ago when the association was emerging from an industry downturn. His passion is to grow great garlic and to promote Australian grown as the garlic of choice for consumers.
Vice Chair – Amanda Rofe
Balmattum Garlic – North of Euroa, Vic
Amanda starting growing garlic in 2019 on her farm located near Euroa, Vic.
In 2022 Amanda was one of four Victorian farmers selected for CQUniversity Australia’s Female Farmers of the Future project which is being delivered in partnership with the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub’ Birchip Cropping Group’ Food and Fibre Gippsland’ and Riverine Plains.
Amanda manages the Social Media for AGIA.
Secretary : Vanessa Blazevic (Casual)
Vanessa has joined the AGIA board as a casual member and will be formally nominated at the 2024 AGM.
Vanessa brings extensive experience in project coordination, process improvement, stakeholder engagement and communication with expertise in technology-focused projects.
Vanessa is new to garlic growing and keen to learn. In her second year she has planted 4,500 plants; scaling up from 1000, and practises sustainable farming on a block in Clarkfield
Committee Member: Nick Young
Flinders Black Garlic – Mornington Peninsula – Vic
Nick farms garlic using organic and regenerative principles.
Nick is on a sabbatical from the AGIA whilst on a 2024 Nuffield Scholarship to ‘Find ways to grow ‘greener’ organic garlic’. Damir Biki is performing the Treasurer role in his absence.
Nick’s research aligns with AGIA’s strategic plan to help address garlic supply, production, climatic and sustainability challenges.
https://www.nuffield.com.au/nickyoung2024
Committee Member: Joel White
Arawata Garlic, Arawata, SW Gippsland, Victoria
Joel joined the AGIA board as a casual member in August 2022 and was formally elected at the following AGM.
Joel previous experience was in the commercial food industry. He started growing garlic in 2018, but his principle business is beef cattle fattening grass fed accredited Black Angus.
Joel practises re-generative / biological farming and has a strong focus on soil health. In 2022 he grew 8000 plants and was planning to move into a commercial phase in 2023.
Treasurer – Damir Biki
In January Damir stepped up to fill the role of Acting Treasurer whilst Nick was on temporary leave. In October 24 he assumed the role of Treasurer, and will be formally nominated at the 2024 AGM.
In Damir’s part of the country the rainfall in this area is over 1.5 m per year, which is very wet for Garlic so he grows it in a greenhouse in waist-high beds. His greenhouse is 800 sqm, which can grow approx. 42,000 plants – planted densely in mid-March and harvested mid-November.
Damir has been growing garlic since 2018 and uses soil moisture probes to activate his dripper line irrigation system.
Committee Member (Casual) – Simon Walker
Simon joined the AGIA as a casual board member in early 2024 and will formally nominate at the 2024 AGM.
Simon’s passion for cooking and family started his interest in growing his own garlic, and in 2020 planted 20kg of organic garlic to share with family and friends.
Four years later Simon and his wife Desley are planting 10ha of mixed Organic and Conventional Garlic. Their online store went live for fresh garlic and the start of their first processed lines: garlic powder, black garlic, and garlic flakes with other lines in the trial stages.
Simon believes that we need more Australian Garlic growers and to continue to educate the Australian public about the benefits of local grown garlic verses the imported product for quality, taste, and the environmental perspective. The end goal being to reduce the amount that is imported.
Australian Garlic is the best!
Committee Member (Casual): Dr David Rutley
David joined the AGIA as a casual board member in early 2024 and will formally nominate at the 2024 AGM.
David has been growing garlic since 2002 and in recent years has produced garlic powder commercially using regenerative garlic techniques.
David runs a small consulting and project management business, has a PhD in Animal Selection and Marketing from the University of Adelaide and has worked both commercially and as a research scientist across all sectors of the red meat value chain: from consumer analysis, food service and retail through distribution, processing and production to genetics.
Executive Officer: Belinda Lambert
Belinda is a part time farmer based in Deniliquin NSW and started growing garlic in 2018. Belinda also works part time as an extension Officer for a Farming Systems Group and Knowledge Broker for the Future Drought Fund’s Southern NSW Drought Innovation Adoption and Resilience Hub.
Belinda was the AGIA Secretary from 2019 till 2024 and brings experience in agriculture extension, communications, technology and governance, and a passion for growing garlic.
