Meet Our People

The Team

The operations team are the eyes, ears, hands and feet of the market. Assembling the resources, mustering the stallholders and pinging off emails left right and centre all week to make the market a reality every Saturday morning. 

Amanda Woollams - Chief Operating Officer

Amanda brings over 20 years of experience in food manufacturing, regulation, manufacturing and certification to the Harvest table. With qualifications in ag-science, manufacturing engineering and law, Amanda has been able to provide valuable support to many reputable food manufacturers across a range of sectors. Specialising in recipe development, standardisation, certification and quality control programs, plus programs for local and export market readiness.

Amanda is particularly passionate about preparing businesses to access international export markets, with experience in China, Singapore, Indonesia and the USA. Extending from product creation to recipes to final labelling and packaging right through to the development of international supply chains and logistics management, Amanda capability to take an idea from concept to product is unmatched. In this way, Amanda has been dedicated to supporting businesses with growth and expansion throughout her varied and diverse career.

Amanda lives on the east Tamar and loves being part of an established premium food and wine culture. She has also been fortunate to travel and live overseas and work with international food producers and manufacturers in the UK, Europe and North and South America. In the downtime, Amanda can be found drinking mamajuanas and playing mahjong with her friends from the Dominican Republic. 

Signature dish: lemon curd tarts

 

 

Rhys Hannan - Market Manager & Resident Chef

Former restauranteur, chef, business graduate, psychology student, creative consultant, wannabe copywriter, amateur plumber, raptor enthusiast, mountain biking weekend-warrior inexperienced hunter, and general ne’er-do-well, Harvest’s full-time manager and resident chef wears many hats, none particularly stylishly.

A 20+ year veteran of the Tasmanian hospitality scene, and having completed the right-of-passage that is overseas work and travel for a young Launcestonian, Rhys is now broadening his career scope and skill set, unfolding a new chapter in an evolving hospitality career.  

Harvest Market has been central to this, making incredible connections and forming partnerships and collaborations with the broader food community a key part of his role. As Harvest’s full time manager, the weekly challenges and machinations of the market come across his desk, and the relationships Rhys forms with our members is critical. Something he takes personal pride and pleasure in doing. 

Rhys lives between Tasmania’s two cities, maintaining the connections we share with the south of the state, relationships with family and friends, and deepening his overall connection to Tasmania. 

Signature dish: Venison and chestnut mushroom pithiviers 

 

Meghan Bond - Volunteer and Community Engagement Co-ordinator

After returning to Tasmania to purchase a small farm (that did not turn out so well) Meghan started at Harvest Market as a volunteer four years ago and was so impressed by the dedication and support of the market team, volunteers, stallholders and community coming each week to the market, that she had to get involved. Meghan joined the Ops team in November 2022, to complement her more traditional desk-based roles. 

She brings experience in research, evaluation, project management, and community engagement (and a few too many degrees). Spanning local to national projects, Meghan has worked to design, deliver as well as monitor and evaluate projects and their outcomes in the academia, not-for-profit, government and private sectors.

Meghan’s passion for local produce and community building was strengthened by undertaking PhD studies centred on climate change and sustainability. A keen gardener (and dog owner), Meghan always seeks to learn about new produce, how to grow it, prepare it, and, most importantly, eat it.

Signature dish: Over-the-top homemade ice cream creations.

 

Our Charter

Our Vision: The world’s best produce from the producer to the people

Our Mission: To be a sustainable farmers’ market with a distinct Tasmanian identity that celebrates and promotes authentic Tasmanian produce and:

• Offers an outlet to Tasmanian farmers and food artisans for the direct sale of a diverse range of fresh, local, high quality produce to consumers

• Fosters innovation and collaboration and encourages producers to explore the viability of new products

• Provides economic and social benefits to the community and;

• Cultivates a vibrant public space and an attraction for local residents and visitors

You can view a copy of our public charter here

 

The Board

The Harvest board is fundamental to our ongoing operation, management, and integrity. Being a not-for-profit community organisation, we are obligated to have expert oversight by a formal board. Bringing together a huge range of skills and talents, and decades of combined experience, the Harvest Board is proudly comprised of passionate, dedicated locals, invested in the future of Harvest and of Launceston. By the way, they’re all volunteers. That says it all really. 

Andrew Pitt - President

Andrew left Launceston as an 18 year old in 1992 then returned in 2009 for family and landscape and decided to stay. He is now involved in the family businesses, and can be found most days at Neil Pitt’s Menswear.

While overseas he lived for a number of years in Winchester, Hampshire, which at that time had England’s largest regular farmers market. The farmers market movement was establishing as an alternative to globalised food supply chains and the focus on local and seasonal food was formative.

Over the last few years he has been a driving force behind the designation of Launceston and the North as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and remains involved as a director of Launceston Gastronomy.

He is a director of the Launceston Chamber of Commerce including President 2019-2022. He completed the Tasmanian Leaders Program in 2014 and was part of a group that brought the Welcome Dinner Project to Tasmania.

Signature dish: hare lasagne

Brett Charlton - Director

Brett has been a patron of the Harvest Market from day one and can usually be seen at 0820 lining up in the fish line. Coming from a business background, Brett manages an international logistics company (DSV) and has been a part of Tasmania’s international trade success for many years.

In addition to his day job, Brett is an advisor to the Federal Department of Infrastructure and presents nationally and internationally on supply chain trends. He is a board member of the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group (TAPG) as well as Vice President of the Tasmanian chapter of the Australia China Business Council.

Brett is also an avid writer and has had a number of articles published in 40 Degrees South on Tasmanian experiences and in his spare time, it would be rare not to see Brett with a guitar in hand.

Signature dish: whole baked snapper w/ finger limes 

 

Bronwyn Strange - Director

Bronwyn’s fondest childhood memories are of summer days spent in the kitchen creating delicious meals with her Cypriot Grandmother who was quite an accomplished cook. This lifelong love of food has turned into a career for Bronwyn who has been cooking professionally as a chef for the last 10 years.

Working in celebrated establishments including the award winning Bangor Vineyard Shed and The Red Feather Inn. She has recently been appointed Head Chef at the ever-popular Earthy Eats which is renowned for championing healthy, ethical and locally sourced food options.

A passionate advocate for Tasmanian produce, Bronwyn was instrumental in helping to establish the well-known and award-winning Bream Creek Farmers Market. She has also been included in several Tasmanian based cookbooks such as the Gourmand award-winning ‘Garlic Feast’ and ‘Tomato, Know, Grow , Sow, Feast’ and was one of the chefs chosen to create recipes for homeware range (celebrating Tasmania and Tasmanian produce) LUCASA at LUC designs in Hobart. 

A lover of the great outdoors, she enjoys nothing better than a camping trip in her Kombi Van (called “THE GOV”) with her family and sitting by a campfire with a nice glass of vino whenever she gets the opportunity.

Signature dish: confit duck w/ parsnip puree, pickled quince and hazelnut 

Bjarke Porsbro-Pedersen - Secretary

Founder and operator of Oldway Farm alongside son Luke and family, Bjarke has been involved with and deeply passionate about primary production and premium, ethically raised meats since his exit from the ADF and after a successful career in information and communication systems and espionage.

Harvest members since inception, Bjarke and Oldway Farm have been cultivating markets and relationships across the state for over two decades. Bjarke’s support for and work with Harvest have taken many forms over the years, performing almost every conceivable role under the Harvest umbrella, from volunteering during setup to stallholdership, from supervision to executive oversight.

Oldway farm cares deeply for the land, soil, ecosystems and biodiversity of their farm, believing that it produces the best results for not only the product, but for the community and future generations in what is an increasingly challenging sector. 

Besides being a deep-sea explosives technician and falconry enthusiast, Bjarke is also a chess grandmaster and is probably most famous upending a board old-western-saloon poker match style during a championship match in Dubrovnik in 2003. Hilarity ensued and Bjarke was banned from international competition for life.

Signature dish: pigs in blankets

Tricia Andres - Director

Tricia’s story is one as old as Tassie itself. After a long and distinguished career in corporate law throughout SE Asia, and many visits to Tasmanian, Tricia found she couldn’t leave. Taking up a position in Georgetown and becoming an integral part of the developing mountain bike scene there, developing her property and contributing to the community. 

Tricia and her family had already been frequenters of Harvest since moving to the region in 2017, and when a position on the board came on the market, she couldn’t help herself, seeing an opportunity to become involved with an organisation and community she had fallen in love with. 

After spending so much time in so many time zones, Tricia relishes the Tassie pace of life, allowing her to spend time with her 3 kids, family and friends. Be that at a hideaway on the east coast, at Harvest or simply grazing at local eateries. Tricia’s connections to Launceston are many and varied, as are her contributions to the Harvest board and community. 

Signature Dish: Adobo pork stew, or Osso Bucco and risotto Milanese

Jess Downie - Director

Jess Downie is a long-time Launnie local and Harvest market devotee. Bringing a wealth of legal skill and knowledge to the table, she cut her teeth when she came to power following the overthrow of her husband and second cousin, Peter III from the throne that was his birthright.

Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Harvest is experiencing a renaissance of culture and sciences through Jess. This has led to many new stallholders, universities, institutions, and theatres being founded. Fostering large-scale immigration from the rest of the world to Launceston, and the recognition of Harvest as one of the great powers of the Pacific is her side hustle.

Jess holds ideas of culture and philosophy close to her heart and surrounds herself with like-minded people within Harvest. Jess believes in a ‘new kind of person’ that can be created by inculcating the populace with education and cultural awareness. Jess believes that education can change the hearts and minds of the community  and turn people away from vice and sin.

With a strong sense of ethics, if quizzed by the proletariate Jess’ best legal advice is free and summed up thusly: seek independent legal advice. 

Signature dish: basil pesto

Melanie McHugh - Director

Although not from the pottery lineage, art school did bid Mel’s calling, with a focus on photography and printmaking.

But the wheel kept turning and Melanie ventured into the education sector, predominantly as an Early Childhood Educator for many years, across New Zealand and Australia – moving to Tasmania twice! –

Alongside a keen interest in the organic food sector, that developed whilst working at East West Organics and The Healthy Salt Company abroad Mel is currently donning a Front of House Supervisor hat at Earthy Eats, balanced with a nice side of daily English Tutoring to Primary School Children remotely.

Melanie is a great advocate for eating locally, supporting sustainable farming practices, and promoting all that this wonderful island has to offer to locals, visitors and future generations.  

Signature dish: Korean BBQ

Lydia Colvin - Director

Hailing from Sydney and calling a sheep farm in the Northern Midlands of Tassie home since 2019, Lydia has almost a decade of experience in finance, investing, management and governance, both on the mainland and locally. Lydia is a Chartered Accountant with a B.A / B. Comm from the University of Sydney.

Lydia has been a huge fan of Harvest since she started visiting Tasmania many years ago, and loves to stock up on Harvest’s fresh, local goodies for her family as often as she can.

When she isn’t crunching numbers or feasting on Tassie’s abundant produce, Lydia loves playing with her adorable baby, taking her Jack Russell on long walks, practising Italian (the language but also la cucina!) and ocean swimming every chance she can.

Signature dish: hyper-local vitello tonnato

Matt Young - Stallholder Representative

Matt was born in Hobart and grew up as a resident of remote Bruny Island. When the farm was sold in 1980, the family relocated to equally remote east Sassafras. This ended a 150-year Young-family farming presence on Bruny Island but began a new farming chapter for Matt.

Matt and his family have been farming on the 220-hectare property at East Sassafras ever since. They grow sheep and cattle for local and interstate markets, alongside scale farming of peas, beans, poppies and potatoes for large contractors, and have recently diversified into grains and grasses for other agricultural markets and services.

About 15 years ago Matt, identifying a gap, started growing celeriac and sweetcorn for the fresh market within Tasmania. Through dealings with local grocers, restaurants and wholesalers, Elphingrove Farm now sells all their fresh edible produce exclusively through and to Tasmanian businesses big and small. Plus of course, Harvest & Farmgate Farmers markets, where their sweetcorn in particular is loved very much in a very special way by our team and our community.

Signature dish: Sweetcorn and smoked paprika chowder

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