Historic: RNZIH Diploma in Apiculture - really neat list of beekeepers...

[NickWallingford]

This is from 1964. For almost a decade before, the NBA had been working through the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture to develop a training (though really more academic/educational) qualification path for beekeepers. In the process of 'launching' the qualification, they decided to award it to any beekeeper who was more than 40 years old, with more 20 years of industry exprerience. Not all 'qualified' beekeepers allowed their names to go forward: I note that Billy Bray is not included here. But it is for me, a beekeeping sort-of historian, a really great list of people who were, in 1964, considered "good beekeepers"...

I see multiple "family" names in beekeeping - those multi-generational beekeeping families that have given a 'consistency' to the industry through time.

 

[Br. Adamson]

What an interesting list! I can see a few families that are still beekeeping in the South Island: Glassons, Marsh's, Mckenzies in Balclutha now, Cropp, Bush. Berry and Lorimer in the North of course. There will be others that i don't recognize. Its also interesting to me that the Abernethy, Glass Brothers and Bennies names survived as local honey brands after the original beekeepers sold them on. I'm not sure any of them are available now though.

 

[NickWallingford]

There's a fair sprinkling of apiary instructors and Dept Ag people in the list. Alf Bennett, Doug Briscoe, Roy Paterson, TS Winter, Eric Smaellie. I expect the new diploma, even by 'honorary' bestowal, would maybe have some career significance.

Wrexford Hillary made me go check - yes, that is Rex Hillary, Sir Ed's brother, who did more beekeeping than Ed did. Their father, Percival, was another of those 'qualified' but for whatever reason may not be included.

Wallace Nelson is included - he played a *major* role in honey marketing from the 1920s through into the 1950's. By this time, he'd been involved for about 40 years. He was once described in the NZ Beekeeper magazine as one of the only self-avowed communists in the industry, I think it was said. He was an avid Labour supporter through the 1930s. Kept bees near Otorahanga, something like 600 hives. The occasional old Nelson's Honey tin can still be seen, but not many NZ beekeepers will have heard of him. He was one of the bkprs who picked up the pieces after the Australian honey debacle in the mid-1930s.

1937-1938: The Australian Honey Debacle

You can find most of the ‘source’ documents I used in writing this story at The importation of Australian honey has always been a contentious issue for New Zealand beekeepers. In …

www.beekeeping.nz