Empowering people to save our reefs and oceans

Reef Check Australia Checkup  
REEF CHECK AUSTRALIA CHECK-UP december 2011


Dear %%First_Name%%

The Reef Check Australia team has been extra busy since you heard from us in September. Since our last newsletter, we have completed 20 surveys in SEQ and on the GBR, including 9 newly established survey sites on Heron Island. We ran a successful training course in SEQ and are pleased to welcome 8 new volunteers to the global Reef Check team, bringing our total number of volunteers to 200 in Australia. We also hosted several successful movie events in Townsville and SEQ. Cumulatively, more than 400 people joined us to think about how they can make their lives and our oceans a little less plastic. 

In September's Annual General Meeting we welcomed Pete Faulkner, former Interim Managing Director as new Board Chair. Pete's background in finance, volunteer coral conservation projects and the dive industry are an excellent fit for our organisation and we are thrilled to have him continue his involvement in Reef Check leadership.

We're also thrilled to report some successful funding applications from the Australian Government's Caring for Our Country and Community Action Grant as well as Redland City Council and OceanWatch. We'll be bringing you exciting news about new projects and opportunities to get involved over the next few months.

With exciting prospects for the new year, we'd like to take the time to thank  all of our members, volunteers and partners for your support over the past year. We wish you the happiest of holidays and a great start to the new year. We're looking forward to keeping you updated in 2012.

General Manager
Jennifer Loder








'bag it:is your life too plastic?' movie event








In September and November, Reef Check Australia collaborated with numerous partners, including guest speaker, Tim Silverwood from Take 3: A Clean Beach Initiative, to host four successful movie & marine debris awareness events. Two screenings in Townsville with Sea Turtle Foundation, JCU's TropEco and Townsville City Council saw 250 community members come out for screenings of the movie Bag It: Is Your Life too Plastic? In SEQ, we joined forces with Sunshine Coast City Council, Redland City Council and SEQ Catchments for events at Underwater World and the Indigiscapes Centre. Thanks to everyone who came along, we hope it inspires people to make their lives and our oceans a little less plastic.









ODEX 2011








Between the 7th and 9th October we had a fantastic weekend at the Oceanic Dive & Ecotourism (ODEX) exhibition at the Brisbane RNA Showgrounds. On Saturday afternoon Jenn even gave a talk all about our pilot REEFSearch program and Tourism Queensland's Best Expedition in the World.
Much thanks to the folks that came to help out. It was great to see so many familiar faces at our stall! We also have more than 100 new members and lots of new friends after our marathon weekend.








Lots of surveys happening








Reef Check has been making the most of the good weather and since October we have completed 20 surveys! We have also received funding from Oceanwatch and Redland City Council for surveys and clean ups in Moreton Bay. We're busy surveying sites on the Sunshine Coast with funding from Sunshine Coast Council. We will continue our SEQ surveys into January 2012.

Reef Check Australia is also excited to announce we have received funding from Caring for Our Country to establish survey sites in the Hervey Bay/Fraser Island region next year as well as establishing sites in Ningaloo in 2013. We are looking forward to expanding our surveying to some new sites and developing new partnerships.

To all of you up in the GBR region we're already planning our surveys for early next year, thanks to some funding from Townsville City Council and the Australian Government's Community Action Grants. You will be hearing from us in February about upcoming surveys as well as a volunteer training course.









Seq training course

At the end of November we held another  successful training course on North Stradbroke Island. Reef Check Australia would like to welcome  8 newly trained volunteers to the Reef Check family. We look forward to seeing you out on some surveys very soon. Seven trained volunteers joined in for a Reef Check jamboree, coming out to refresh their knowledge for the new season and complete 4 surveys at Flat Rock and Shag Rock. Well done guys!

Heron Island

Reef Check Australia is excited to announce that at the start of November we established 9 new survey sites on Heron Island. Visit our Reef Health Database to see results. We look forward to maintaining these sites and getting out to Heron Island next year again. A very big thanks to UQ's Biophysical Remote Sensing Group and Heron Island Research Station for helping to establish the Reef Check program on Heron Island.

Adopt a coral polyp








To compliment our corporate Adopt a Reef campaign, Reef Check Australia has now launched an Adopt a Coral Polyp campaign! For just $10 you can adopt your very own coral polyp, a perfect present for a friend or family member. Join our growing list of supporters building a bigger, better Reef Check, one polyp at a time. First, visit the website to take our new fun quiz and find out what type of coral you are... then pass it on to your friends!







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Reef Check Australia is a registered not for profit organisation and is a registered Environmental Organisation. Reef Check Australia is entitled under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 item 6.1.1 of subsection 30-55(1) to receive tax deductible donations. Any individual, company, trust or charity that makes a donation will receive a receipt for use in the preparation of their tax return.

PO Box 13204 George St, Brisbane QLD 4003. Tel +61 7 4724 3950. Reef Check Foundation Ltd. (Australia)   ABN: 46 108 200 933. Registered Australian charity with tax deductible gift recipient status.