Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak of fond matters. It is fitting that I have a number of my South Australian colleagues here in the chamber, as well as you, Acting Deputy President Senator Sterle, from Western Australia and others from Victoria and Tasmania, as you all know that the wine industry is such an important part of our regional fabric. It also makes a significant economic and cultural contribution to Australia. It is supported by an incredibly tight-knit wine community. Having grown up in the Clare Valley, one of Australia's most well-known wine regions, and working in wine most of my life, I know firsthand just how close-knit the community is.

We recently lost a much loved member of the Australian wine family and I rise tonight to take this opportunity to acknowledge and commemorate the life of Yvonne May, who passed away on 29 August 2014 after a five-month battle with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Yvonne was Wine Australia's regional director for the United Kingdom and Europe, a role she had held since 2010. Wine Australia supports our wine sector and aims to build and strengthen the reputation of the industry, both here and in our major export markets. In that role, Yvonne demonstrated just how much can be achieved through tireless passion and tenacity. She made a significant contribution to Australian wine, particularly in our largest export market, the United Kingdom. A dedicated and well respected figure in the industry, the English born and bred Yvonne was steadfast in her advocacy of Australian wine from the outset of her career when, in 1992, she was appointed the UK and European marketing manager for Rosemount Estate, one of Australia's most well-known wine brands.

Her six-year tenure at Rosemount spurred a love for Australia, and her wines, that stayed with Yvonne long after she left the winemaker, and it became the defining theme of her career. In 1998, she established her own PR and marketing agency, Lindsay May Marketing, with husband, David. Regarded as the best agency in the UK for wine communications, Yvonne headed up the business for 15 years and cemented her place as one of the most influential wine professionals in the market.

In an overt display of passion, Yvonne felt for the Australian wine category. She only took on, as clients, those wine brands that she genuinely loved and admired. Yvonne became known for her positivity, her integrity and her forthrightness. It was these characteristics that were the driving force behind her many accomplishments at Wine Australia. Appointed to head up Wine Australia's UK team in 2010, the role had not been easy to fill and her appointment followed an exhaustive search.

Yvonne gave up her own lucrative business to take on the role and it brought with it a raft of challenges, as the sector faced a barrage of criticism in the United Kingdom and its surrounding markets. Tasked with weathering the storm of negative sentiment against Australian wine, Yvonne came into the role resolving that she would do 'everything in her power' to turn things around for the industry and to re-build Australia's perception in the UK market, with an increased emphasis on the quality and regionality of our wines.

No sooner were Yvonne's feet under the desk at Australia House, on London's famous Strand, she rallied the troops and used her great influence and relationships with the wine trade to remind people what was great about Australian wine, personifying our enthusiasm and directness, two of the qualities she loved so much about the Australian ethos.

Yvonne brought with her the renewed energy and optimism that Australian wine desperately needed. She was the embodiment of Wine Australia's values, taking the time to listen first, seeking to understand the needs of the industry and only then developing a strategy to address those needs. After such a long period when Australian wine seemed to be in limbo, Yvonne was a breath of fresh air, bringing innovation and new thinking to the table, while continuing to talk to winemakers and trade to ensure Wine Australia's activities remained focused.

Yvonne never stopped promoting Australian wine. A notable initiative that is sure to become an enduring legacy of her achievements was her reinvention of London's annual Australia Day Tasting, now considered to be the best tasting Australia has held in years. Yvonne had impressive commercial acumen and vision. So great has her impact been on changing perceptions of Australian wine, today confidence in the category among the UK and European wine trade has never been higher.

For such a critical role in the support of a competitive and profitable wine sector, Yvonne led a relatively small team in London and, to them, Yvonne was an inspiration, a mentor, and for the Australians in the team who were so far away from their homes and families, a surrogate mother.

Since her passing, the tributes have been flowing in, with many sharing heartfelt memories of Yvonne and painting a picture of someone who was respected and loved by all. People have spoken fondly of her wicked sense of humour, her characteristic laugh, her ability to see the funny side of any situation and the good in everyone she encountered. They have spoken of how it was a true pleasure and honour to work with Yvonne, how she was one of a kind and how greatly they will miss her passion, her energy and her friendship.

An honorary Australian, there is no question Yvonne had a profound influence on our industry, not just professionally and as a colleague but personally and as a friend. Her zest for life was contagious and her passing will be deeply felt. It is a sad irony that someone who loved life so much should leave us so suddenly—and at only 53, much too early.

The Australian wine community is indeed a poorer one without Yvonne. While she will be sorely missed, our greatest disservice to Yvonne—who embraced life so enthusiastically, with both arms wide open—would be to reflect too much on the past. Instead, she would demand that we continue to look ahead, to be inspired to make wines of exceptional quality and to share those wines and our stories behind them with the world.

Shortly after joining Wine Australia, Yvonne was quoted as saying, 'Australia is where my heart is,' and as we honour her today and mourn her passing I know Yvonne is in the hearts of the Australian wine community, who she spent 25 years so passionately advocating for. Vale, Yvonne May. Australia will miss you.