Mr Burke - it's now or never for our oceans
eNewsletter 21 January 2011
Happy New Year! 2011 is shaping up to be the year of the ocean as the federal government decides the fate of the Coral Sea and many other marine areas around Australia.
The next few months are crucial. The federal government is preparing a plan for the Coral Sea, which will be released for public comment in coming months, and finalised by the end of the year.
We need to keep showing the government how much public support there is for a large highly protected marine park in the Coral Sea. If we can keep the support growing, we can create the world’s largest marine park in one of the world’s most special places.
“Our fate and the oceans are one” Dr Sylvia Earle
We know we’ve asked you this before, but this is the year it’s more important than ever - so please ask a friend, family member or work colleague to sign our e-petition today. We have over 33,000 supporters now. Let’s try and reach 50,000 by midyear!
http://www.protectourcoralsea.org.au/act-now
Facebook - could it be you?
We now have almost 7,000 Facebook fans. Who will be the 7,000th? Could it be you? Join us now! www.facebook.com/protectourcoralsea You can ‘like’ us too!
Barry at WoodfordThe sun might not have shined but the true Woodford Festival spirit certainly did. Over 1000 people said hello to Barry Wrasse, he certainly enjoyed all of the attention!
Upcoming Events – Get Involved!
23, 26, 27, 30 January: Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne
If you are going to the Big Day Out this year, come and visit the Protect our Coral Sea stalls at:
• the Gold Coast on 23 January,
• in Sydney on 26 or 27 January and
• in Melbourne on 30 January.
28 January, 6.30pm - 8.15pm: Melbourne
Melbourne Aquarium
Come and watch the stunning film Coral Sea Dreaming: Awaken by David Hannan for FREE, hosted by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Melbourne Aquarium. Hear why the Coral Sea should be highly protected.
Location: Melbourne Aquarium, corner of Flinders Street and King Street, Melbourne.
RSVP: spaces are limited so please contact daisybarham@amcs.org.au to secure your seat.
9 February, 7pm – 8pm: Sydney 
George EvattStrathfield Main Library
Award winning underwater documentary producer George Evatt will be speaking about this unique part of the world. George’s work has screened in Australia and internationally and in 2004 he received the prestigious Whitley Medal from the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales for best publication on the natural history of Australian animals. Since 2003 George has presented his marine life issues talk, Beneath Southern Seas to more than 90,000 Australian school students.
There will also be a short screening of Coral Sea footage taken from Emmy Award winning director David Hannan’s latest documentary Coral Sea Dreaming: Awaken.
Please join us at this unique event, rsvp to Beth Hill beth@protectourcoralsea.org.au by Friday 4 February. Venue: Strathfield Main Library, 65-67 Rochester St, Homebush.
17-21 February: Wiseman’s Ferry, north of Sydney
Playground Festival
The Protect our Coral Sea team will have a stall at this festival, so pop by for a chat if you are around.
28 February – 6 March: Sydney 
Credit Jurgen FreundWestfield Burwood Shopping Centre
Our Coral Sea: Our Ocean Paradise a 30 piece Coral Sea photo exhibition that will bring the beauty of the Coral Sea to people in Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns in 2011. The exhibition kicks off in Sydney at Westfield Burwood Shopping Centre.
The talented photographers involved have all dived in the Coral Sea for many years and include: Jürgen Freund, Mark Spencer, Xanthe Rivett, Nicola Temple, Tyrone Canning and Lucy Trippett.
We would love your help!
We are looking for volunteers to help spread the word at upcoming events throughout the year and to help out in general.
If you’d like to volunteer, we’d love to hear from you:
• in Cairns contact Steve marine@cafnec.org.au
• in Townsville contact Gail president@nqcc.org.au
• in Brisbane contact Daisy daisybarham@amcs.org.au
• in Sydney contact Beth: beth@protectourcoralsea.org.au
Spread the Word!
Help protect the Coral Sea on your own website by inserting our widget. Visitors can sign the Coral Sea petition without leaving your site. You can find our widget right here on our home page. To add this to your site, simply click on the “forward” tab and then the “embed this widget” link to access the required code. Paste this code into your website and the widget will display. It won’t take more than a few minutes!
What have we been up to lately?
Find out here:
http://www.protectourcoralsea.org.au/news-media
