More than 520 guests packed into the Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards, hosted by award-winning comedian Peter Helliar in Mount Gambier on Friday, where Laurie Hein and Stephen Van Schaik were crowned the 2025 Timber Legends.
Laurie Hein, managing director of Green Triangle Forest Products, was recognised for a career that began in a small family mill and progressed to senior leadership across plantation forestry. According to Green Triangle Forest Products’ company profile, Mr Hein leads the company’s plantation operations in the region and has spent more than four decades in plantation management and industry leadership. Over that time, he has been credited with championing workplace safety, embedding stronger on‑site practices and driving workforce development, work that industry figures say has helped consolidate the Green Triangle’s reputation as a high‑performance plantation region.
Meanwhile, Stephen Van Schaik was honoured for building Van Schaik’s Bio Gro into a regional business that converts timber mill residues and other organic streams into soil amendments, mulches, and horticultural products. Van Schaik’s Bio Gro’s company information states the business was developed by the Van Schaik family to process timber residues and supply composts and growing media to horticulture and agriculture markets, supporting the article’s description of Mr Van Schaik as an early adopter of circular‑economy practices that create jobs and divert waste from landfill.
Organisers said the Timber Legends citations recognise long‑term mentorship, community impact, and practical contributions that will shape forestry practice for years to come, as the awards night brought together growers, suppliers, and policymakers to celebrate operational excellence and value‑adding innovation across the timber supply chain.
