Shine Awards: After life’s stings, a sweet buzz of success

When Natasha Roebig decided she wanted to start beekeeping, she didn’t know where to begin.

As a woman in a male-dominated field, beekeeper Natasha Roebig is keen to change the face of the industry and remove barriers to entry for women. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

When Natasha Roebig decided she wanted to start beekeeping, she didn’t know where to begin.

It was difficult to navigate conflicting information in books and online, and local bee club members in Jimboomba, Queensland weren’t particularly welcoming.

“Most of them were older men who have bees as a hobby, are ­retired from work but keep bees to stay active,” she said. “So for me, as a young woman with a child who had a beehive but never knew what to do with it, I was pretty ­intimidated.

“I was kind of intruding on their personal time and gatherings, and it was really hard to find someone to talk me through the beehive, give me some advice and create a mentor relationship.”

Roebig was drawn into beekeeping after her daughter was born with eczema, which left her skin raw. After trying numerous creams, Roebig could not find anything that soothed her daughter’s skin.”

She decided to keep bees so she could make her own bee balm, and was fascinated to learn more about an essential industry under threat.

One hive and eight years later, Roebig owns 12 million bees in sites across Queensland and, with her husband, has started a natural bee product business called Bee All Natural.

As a woman in a male-dom­inated field, she is passionate about changing the face of the bee industry and removing barriers to entry for women. It’s why she has been nominated in this year’s annual Shine Awards, which put a spotlight on the untold stories of rural and ­regional women.

A partnership between Aus­tralia’s leading rural and regional masthead The Weekly Times and Harvey Norman, the fifth Shine Awards recognise ­ unsung leaders and ­innovators who make a real ­difference to their communities.

Roebig is determined to educate the next generation of beekeepers, to ensure sustain­ability of the bee population and help to break the stereotypical beekeeper mould. She has created workshops and is working to launch courses in Queensland schools.

“There was nothing in Queensland that provides a group environment for women in bee­keeping, where they can safely reach out to mentors and not feel less experienced or lose confidence in their own abilities,” she said. “It’s not just a retirees’ exercise. When you think of beekeepers, most people think of an older gentleman in a field with a smoker, but it’s so much more than that.

“Our goal is to have students in schools with the opportunity to learn about bees. I’d like to see budding beekeepers everywhere.”

Readers are encouraged to nominate women whose stories deserve to be told at shineawards.com.au. The winners will be announced in November.