Macarthur Beekeepers New Home
Ed Napiorkowski
President, Macarthur Beekeepers Association Inc.
In 2024, the Macarthur Beekeepers Association found itself without a home for it's hives and recreational beekeeping programs after the conclusion of it's long term arrangement with Mt Annan Botanical Gardens and the Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living.
The hives were temporarily relocated to a farming property in The Oaks whilst the club actively sought to identify a new location and supportive agency to partner with.
Wests Group Macarthur was proud to step in to help, providing a new home for the Association and it's 150+ members at Lakeside Golf Club Camden, recognising the initiative as an important contribution to both it's sustainability efforts and community engagement strategy.
The new, purpose-built facility located within the Lakeside Golf Course maintenance precinct on Ballandean Boulevard currently houses 13 hives in the Apiary, along with an education and workshop shed and a food-grade honey extracting shed. With open club meeting nights, held at Wests League Club (and live-streamed via Google Meet), and apiary field days held monthly at the Lakeside complex the local community is invited to pop along and find out more about the art of beekeeping and the importance of bees to our pollination, food chain, and overall environment. More details on the club and its activities can be accessed via its website at https://macarthur.beekeepers.asn.au
To allow club members and Wests Staff the best opportunity to participate, the opening of the complex was marked across two special events, one on a weekend for the Club's members and a second on a weekday for Wests and Lakeside staff.
Both were well attended with beekeeping information sessions and tours of the new facilities.
The West's/Lakeside event was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Camden Council Mayor, Ashley Cagney, Macarthur Beekeepers Association President, Executive Committee members and members of the West's Greenkeeping, administration team and Board.
To mark the beginning of this partnership a ‘bee approved’ Flowering Gum was planted alongside the sheds as a lasting symbol of growth and collaboration. As a celebratory gift, attendees were also presented with a honey jar featuring labels newly developed in recognition of this exciting new start for Macarthur Beekeepers.
The partnership between Wests and Macarthur Beekeepers is a positive example of what can be achieved for the broader community when organisations combine their efforts in delivering on a common theme. These new facilities enable the long standing Macarthur Beekeepers club to continue supporting the recreational beekeeping community and in addition physically demonstrate West's commitment to community and sustainability!