Surfing for women]]> Family life]]> Communities]]> Tourism]]> Marine protected areas]]> Fishing]]> Aboriginal culture]]> Seashore]]> Landcare]]> Litter (Trash)]]> Environmental conservation]]> Marine parks]]> Water pollution]]> Marine ecosystems]]> Environmental stewardship]]> Environmental responsibility]]>
She comments on how different the culture is from when she, as a girl, would go to the beach and just lie in the sun. Now daughters of friends are engaged in the action: surfing, spear-fishing, diving. She surfs with other mums in her area and her husband's colleague encouraged her to join the Board Riders club. At first she was reluctant, having seen how competitive board riding was when growing up in the Wollongong area, and how the boys made fun of the girls, who had just recently got involved in the competition. But she went along and loved the supportiveness. She speaks of the charity work the club does, usually to support women or coastal communities. She describes the unique feeling of surfing, tuning into the ocean, how a friend told her surfing can be anti-depressant.

She talks about her young son's relation to the beach and ocean, mixed love and awe. They loved the Council’s Marine Debris Challenge which encouraged everyone to pick up as much plastic rubbish debris as they could find washed up, and then take photos of it, for the Council website. Debris is known to wash up from ships as well as littering on land, and is noticeably worse in holiday seasons.

Other topics included fishing exemptions in sanctuary zones and special permissions for Aboriginal peoples to conduct net fishing. Organisations and events mentioned: Nature Coast Marine Group; Clean Up Australia; Marine Debris Challenge; Landcare.]]>
CC BY]]>