our team
Stuart Proud
Viticulturist and Winemaker
His career in the wine industry started back in 1995, establishing new vineyards in South Australia. Since then he has worked in multiple regions throughout Australia and overseas before settling in the Yarra Valley in 2003. Working primarily as a viticulturist, with a passion and focus on soil health, the evolution into the winemaking role has been slow and steady.
The vineyard has always been his main focus of attention since starting here in 2010. Soils that are healthy, balanced and alive mean the resultant wines he makes speak truthfully of where they came from.
Stuart’s aim is to let the vineyard and fruit purity shine through in the wines, while leaving a minimal thumbprint as the winemaker.
When not in the vineyards or winery, Stuart can be found playing sport with his two boys, beating the drums for local band The Yeastie Boys or trying to catch a few waves down the coast.
Cameron Joyce
Vineyard Manager
Cameron Joyce started his career in the wine industry after he finished high school and worked in hospitality. This sparked his interest in wine, which led him to work as a fine wine sales specialist. After several years, Cam wanted to expand his knowledge and skills and took an interest in the grape growing side of the industry. In 2002 Cam started a traineeship which included education plus working in a vineyard in the upper Yarra Valley. He quickly realised this was a career that he wanted to further pursue at a higher level. Cam went on to hone his skills and knowledge by managing a 60 acre vineyard for the next 14 years, selling high end fruit to many of the well known local wineries.
In 2016, wanting to take the next step, he took on a challenging role managing 150 acres across three properties for another local winery.
Cam was welcomed to the thousand candles team in 2021 where he is taking the vineyard operations to the next level with a thirst for knowledge regarding soil health, fruit quality, biodiversity and sustainability across the property.
In his downtime Cam likes to spend time with his kids playing sport, cooking up a storm in the kitchen for the family, taking a run with Doug, the labrador and following many different sports from around the world.
Tim Holmes
Winemaker
Tim Holmes’ career in the wine industry began in the year 2000 here in the Yarra Valley. After several vintages he had caught the winemaking bug and commenced studies through Charles Sturt University. From 2002 to 2006 he combined studies with travels and worked throughout various Australian wine regions and overseas vintages in the United States and France.
After returning to Australia, Tim began working at Coonawarra in South Australia for the next 6 years, where he me his wife. In 2013 they decided to move back to the Yarra Valley where the journey in wine had began for him.
When he joined us in 2021 at thousand candles, we welcomed the wealth of knowledge and experience that Tim has gained over the last 20 years, where he has become an integral part of the team. Refining his winemaking skills by using more lo-fi, minimal intervention techniques the wines truly reflect the quality and uniqueness of our vineyards.
When not in the winery Tim loves to spend time at home with his two children, out in the veggie garden or mountain biking one of the many local trails.
Arthur Senior
Farm Manager
Manages all the cattle on the farm. His knowledge and experience on the property spans for over three decades means he knows the farm like no other.
One of the hardest workers you will ever meet, his passion for livestock and farming means the cattle are always in prime condition.
Breeding up our full blood Wagyu herd, Arthur believes the quality of the meat is the testament to his soil health program and like the wines, truly reflects the land they come from.
Chris Pritchett
Vineyard Foreman
Born and bred in the Yarra Valley, Chris or “Pritchie” as he is more commonly known, has a wealth of experience with all aspects of viticulture and farming. With more than 25 years behind him, he can drive anything and fix anything out on the farm. He also likes to dabble in the winery, making some of his own small batches and spending time with his family and friends.
Kylie Guest
Office Administrator
Kylie has a strong background in office administration and has been a welcome addition to our team in recent times. Every business needs someone well organized and efficient to run the behind the scenes administrative duties and Kylie is just that person.
A Yarra Valley local with a young family, when not at work Kylie enjoys time with family and friends and supporting local community projects.
Digish Trivedi CPA
Group Financial Controller
Digish joined the team in 2014. He is responsible for the delivery of financial services such as accounting, treasury, reporting, budgeting and insurance management, in accordance with legislative requirements and organisational policies and strategies.
