“ I’m 2I and I grew up the most part in Lismore for the last 10 years, which I feel are the years that have really helped shape me, especially with my love for the environment. As a kid we travelled around with my single mum and 3 siblings.
My mum was 16 when she had me so we sort of grew up together. I’ve moved over 30 times, mostly through NSW and I’ve seen a lot of different landscapes but the Northern Rivers is the most beautiful. It’s the most I’ve ever connected with other than the Australian outback. I love the Eucalypts and the rugged red landscape out there.
I moved up here in 2006, went to Lismore Public school for a year then Lismore High which was great. Coming from a lower socio-economic background Mum has always taught us to take every opportunity that you can, work for it, volunteer, do something you love, don’t stay in a job that you hate. I guess because she didn’t get to live her dream as she was raising 3 kids, she really wanted that for us. Every night when she put us to bed it was like “You know you can be anything you want to be when you grow up, the sky’s the limit.’ ‘You need to get a job and work hard, look out the window and see your surroundings!’ I’m really appreciative she gave us that. Everywhere we went was either bushwalking, nature, beach, that’s all we could afford to do, let’s build a cubby house, or mud pies with sticks in the back yard. Coming up here was a whole new beginning in a cool way.
I’m studying Environmental Science and Marine Science at SCU. I’ve had the best time ever. We go camping, out in the field constantly. I’m very passionate about protecting nature and our future. I want to bring a balance to the table because I feel sometimes people get a bit lost in the extremism of what they’re passionate about, so the message gets lost in translation. My mission is to work with people and communities, to respect the environment more, respect nature and I would like to make massive changes with issues like climate change and biodiversity.
In June a bunch of SCU students are going to Sumatra. We were all selected on what we could bring to the table, what we hope to achieve and what it would do for us by working with the communities over there. Plant trees, build habitat and put strategies in place for recycling within the community. To help them strengthen what they have in a National Park elephant conservation centre. It’s like nothing I’ve had the chance to do. They pay for our flights but we need to fundraise for the rest. We are so sheltered here, we’re losing our own biodiversity at an unprecedented rate in our own country but when you go over there and see those iconic species like elephants, tigers, orang-utans and rhinos just getting wiped out. We just want to bring some money over there for their under resourced centre, bring our skills. We are scientists, nursing students, people from all different backgrounds. The money will help with things like, eg.….it costs $45 to revegetate 130,000 trees on an acre and that’s roughly 10 cups of coffee in our world. That will provide food for a whole range of species that really need it. The forests are disappearing at an alarming rate as we all know. Football fields in seconds.
I want to be very careful when I’m over there because we are in such a priviliged position here and I want to present myself as approachable. It’s so easy to look like the white man saviour coming over from a privileged country so I want to be down to earth and balanced, get my hands dirty, on the ground stuff rather than being in my little lab, reading and learning about these issues. I’m excited to experience it.
Another thing that is really important to me at the moment, is my role as Marine Debris Survey Coordinator with Positive Change for Marine Life. Every second Saturday myself, and two other passionate co-ordinators head down and clean up Main Beach at Byron, while trying to help educate the community on marine debris and the impacts they’re having on the ocean and marine animals. It’s great to get out there and spread the message of nurturing the land that loves us and gives so much to us! I just love our country, our region, especially our eucalypt trees, and our oceans and the quirky, friendly folk that inhabit the area.
I want to do a Masters of Climate Change at ANU. I’ve applied for the Environment Dept. Grad Program which I’d love to get into. I’m a down to earth person because of my upbringing and I want to stay connected to people. I don’t want to be a city slicker greeny who goes out bush and tries to tell people how to use their water, turn out their lights etc. I’ve battled whether I want to go into politics or should I just use my science or do I go into legislation policy in general, the doors are wide open. I’m keen to get out there and make a difference. I would just love everyone to do something meaningful in their life, one thing, whether it be helping the planet, helping people, the environment, just do something worthwhile for yourself as well.”