Rod Skellet, Founder and CBO (Chief Bee Officer)
King Island Pure founder, Rod Skellet has been described by some as “a jackaroo that never quite got over it”.
This backhanded compliment sits well with Rod who has developed a passion for beekeeping and producing this wonderful mono-floral manuka honey on King Island.
Rod, like many rural produce producers has a strong affinity with nature. As a self-confessed ‘closet greenie', he understands the importance of bees and having healthy, pest and disease-free hives as well as protecting the floral resource on which they forage for nectar and pollen.
Coming Full Circle
Rod started his journey in Agriculture at School at Barker College. Barker has more students doing Ag Science in the HSC students than South Australia and Tasmania combined.
A Bachelor of Applied Science (Agriculture) from Hawkesbury Ag College occupied his next four years followed by a stint jackarooing in the Upper Hunter Region and then a job in crop protection with Nufarm Chemicals.
In 1986 Rod’s career path forked, and he found himself working in the options market on the trading floor with the Sydney Stock Exchange. Within 6 months he was working for Ord Minnett/JP Morgan which led to a 35 year career in finance.
Now, older and wiser with the battle scars to prove it, Rod has found himself back on the land doing what he originally set out to do.
