ONION growers from across Australia gathered in Mannum, South Australia recently to celebrate their industry.
The onion harvest dinner, co-hosted by Onions Australia and Enza Zaden, attracted 60 growers from most states of Australia..
The highlight of the night was a keynote address by Enza Zaden’s head seed breeder Lewis Lydon, who outlined the global onion industry.
The gala dinner was held at Mannum’s Rivapak facility and Onions Australia CEO Lechelle Earl said the evening was a fantastic way to celebrate the Australian onion season.
Enza Zaden area manager Australia New Zealand Herman van der Gulik said the onion harvest dinner in a packing shed was a novel idea and an enjoyable night .
“I hope all attendees will remember it for a long time to come and I hope our varieties are as memorable to the growers as the evening,” he said.
“While the evening was cold, the discussion was lively and the musician gave his all to serenade the networking onion growers. The night was enjoyable and without any over-networking.
“It was a beautiful dream come true for me as a dusty packing shed transformed into a stunning restaurant for just one night.
“It really was a dream to unite growers for a night, in an unlikely place, where they could enjoy catching up with friends.
“The atmosphere was tinted green by the dramatic lighting and the shed decorated to make a cosy dinner.
“The usual market rivalries stayed at home and camaraderie prevailed around the tables and amongst the necessary heaters.
“I thank the onion growing community for supporting us at the dinner, buying our varieties and for supporting our research in Australia.
“I was very proud of our onion display, especially the mid to late season brown varieties, Olivine and Samantha.
“Enza Zaden is a multi local organisation and I am honoured that our global head of onion breeding, Lewis Lydon, could join us, talk about the global onion market and the opportunities to export Enza Zaden varieties to strong markets in SE Asia.
“The dinner was a joyful celebration of onions, onioneers, good food and animated discussion. “
Another highlight of the evening was a presentation to onion grower Steve Rathjen, who recently retired from the Onions Australia Executive Committee after almost two decades of involvement.