Fun-filled education at the Coast Guardians Forum 2015

Local students got creative and hands on at the 2015 GORCC Coast Guardians Forum last week as they celebrated a year of conservation achievements.

The annual forum gives students, who have been working hard to rehabilitate coastal sites all year, the chance to celebrate their significant contribution to the protection and enhancement of the local coastal environment.

Bryon Powell, Chairperson of the Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation (trading as Wadawurrung), performed a Welcome to Country ceremony to commence the proceedings, and stayed to conduct educational sessions with the students, introducing them to indigenous food, culture and tools.

As part of the event, students worked with local artist Lisa Hunter to make an endangered animal out of rubbish that is commonly left along the beaches. With a hot glue gun in hand, the students created a Weedy Sea Dragon, a Hooded Plover and a Southern Brown Bandicoot.

Students also participated in a number of other activities including an interactive ‘touch tank’, kindly contributed by the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre. This allowed students to interact with some of the marine life they have been protecting.

To finish off the day, the students were rewarded with a Black Snake Productions live wildlife show, getting up close and personal with some amazing native wildlife.

The show featured some reptiles including a lace monitor, a few snakes, a number of cute mammals including a baby wallaby and a barn owl named Tyto.

Students from Geelong Lutheran College and Surf Coast Secondary College attended, making the most of the array of activities on offer and presenting to the group about their achievements on their sites.  From planting native plants, removing invasive flora and collecting rubbish, all groups made significant improvements to their coastal sitesover the year.

Check out the photo gallery of the day below:

Geelong Lutheran College students Jera Norton, Cameron Wilkinson, Taj Dillon, and Benjamin Lunt with Education Activity Leader Hilary Bouma and Wathaurung Aboriginal Elder Byron Powell.

Students from Geelong Lutheran College Annalyse Palladini and Brittany Young with Rachael Beecham.

Black Snake presenter and a Spiny Freshwater Crayfish

Local artist Lisa Hunter (middle) with Education Coordinator Peter Crowcroft and Education Activity Leader Hillary Bouma with the students artwork.

Geelong Lutheran College students Timothy Newton and Isabella B showing off their artwork with Rachael Beecham

Geelong Lutheran College student Jessica holding a Blue Tongue Lizard

Byron Powell and Hilary Bouma

Seahorse Art

Hooded Plover Artwork

Geelong Lutheran College students Samuel Grundell, Johnny Ferguson-Reynolds and Cameron Wilkinson creating their Seahorse art.

Geelong Lutheran College students Paris Anskaitis and Emily Yuncan holding a python.

Pete Crowcroft and Rachel Beecham holding a python

Bilby Artwork

Pete Crowcroft and his son holding a python.

Black Snake presenter and a Giant Murray River Crayfish

For more information on GORCC’s Environmental Education Programs, head over to our website here.

Have you had a close encounter with any local, indigenous wildlife on the coast lately?