Melon industry for national conference and commemorates 30 years of the Australian Melon Association
The Australian melon industry converged on Brisbane on 4 June for the 2025 Australian Melon Conference and 30-Year Anniversary Celebration, hosted by Melons Australia.
With growers, and industry from across the country in attendance, the event provided a vital platform to discuss current challenges and lay the groundwork for future strategic growth.
A key message that resonated from the conference was the ongoing pressure of the cost/price squeeze faced by melon growers across the country.
Conference presenters and attendees highlighted the urgent need for thorough market assessments and support to diversify market access. There was a clear call for all decisions– whether marketing, R&D, or communications – to be backed by robust data, and for a future-focused program built on collaboration, education and strategic communication.
A number of initiatives were flagged for potential progression – whether through levy investment or alternative support – such as embedding melon education into schools and foodservice sectors; continuing efforts to enhance fruit quality and pursue new markets and exploring strategic collaboration opportunities across the supply chain.
Other initiatives included strengthening the promotion of health benefits through targeted extension activities; storytelling and celebrating grower experiences – expanding on current efforts with the potential development of a grower-focused communications and social media training programme and investigating a horticulture apprenticeship or young-person engagement strategy to attract future industry leaders.
The event also raised the need to review the current levy structure to enable greater investment in marketing activities on behalf of the industry.
Melons Australia’s CEO, Johnathon Davey celebrated “the robust and open engagement throughout the day” and noted “the particularly strong turnout of over 130 participants following a seven-year hiatus of the Australian Melon Conference”.
The event also marked the 30th anniversary of the incorporation of the Australian Melon Association with an evening celebration bringing together generations of industry leaders.
In a rare gathering, four of the six chairs of the Association were present to reflect on three decades of leadership, growth, and resilience.
Among those recognised was Darryl O’Leary (Chinchilla), who served as the inaugural Chair of the Association following its formation in 1995. Judy Greensill (Bundaberg) was also celebrated, having served as the first secretary/treasurer and later chair between 2003 and 2007.
The dinner also acknowledged long-serving chair Mark Daunt, who led the Association through more than a decade of significant industry trials, and current chair Paul McLaughlin, whose leadership continues to shape the Association’s future. Other past chairs including Jeff Moon and Jon Caleo were recognised alongside many former and current board members in attendance.
“Who would have imagined, back at the original 1992 Melon Conference in Griffith – hosted by the NSW Department of Agriculture – that a national industry body would be born just a few years later at the second conference in Ayr? The 2025 celebration was a powerful reminder of how far the industry has come—and how committed it remains to meeting the challenges ahead,” said Paul McLaughlin, Melons Australia chair.
