Page 27 - Port Douglas Magazine 30

WORDS by Roy Weavers
have been fortunate throughout my
I of help are coming from the most unlikely
career to interview some of the most
sources. Their new McConaghy 51 ft
influential people within their fields of
yacht, the “Merlin”, worth more than $1m,
expertise, from business magnates to
passionate charity fundraisers, politicians was donated by 1972 Olympic Star Class
yachting gold medallist David Forbes OAM.
and out and out obsessive characters who He and his family heard about the GBR
generate enthusiasm just by being who they Legacy organisation and the great things
are. it is achieving, they came to an immediate
Well, last week I was lucky enough to a have agreement to give the boat to Dr Dean, John
a coffee with an individual who probably and the Legacy crew as perhaps his own
surpasses them all, a man whose interest in legacy, the sea having given so much to this
his work could quite possibly save the planet Olympian sailor extraordinaire.
and with his enthusiasm recruit any and An ambition of the GBR Legacy is to create
everyone he needs to make it happen. the world’s largest live coral Biobank to
Dr Dean Miller is the newly appointed create an insurance policy for the coral
Managing Director of Great Barrier Reef reef community with a living, thriving
Legacy (GBR Legacy. He has come from environment that guarantees its survival.
dreaming a dream around a table with his By the end of 2020 they hope to have
friend and long term mentor, John Rumney banked more than 200 species, half of all
- himself an acknowledged leading expert Great Barrier Reef hard coral species and a
on the Great Barrier Reef here off the coast quarter of the 800 potential species of corals
of Port Douglas - to actually making those worldwide. While Dr Dean was explaining
dreams become reality. his plans, I must confess my mind drifted
to likening it to Noah and his Ark, which
GBR Legacy was founded in 2016 with protected so many animals during a previous
a clear mission to be a global leader in time of global disaster. Dr Dean doesn’t pull
marine expeditions, delivering innovative any punches when declaring that if we all fail
science, education and public engagement to to make change during the current climate
accelerate actions vital to the future survival
woes, we will continue to see the decline of
of coral reefs. And time is of the essence!
the coral reefs of the world. So keeping as
Dr Dean Miller’s original concept of many species safe until sustainability of this
‘Restoration, Communication, Collaboration ecological jewel can be assured is therefore
An ambition of the GBR and Education’ has become the GBR Legacy absolutely crucial.
operational mantra for turning around the
These coral Biobanks will keep the corals
Legacy is to create fortunes of parts of the ailing Great Barrier alive and help to maintain the symbiotic
Reef. If plans and ideas from within the
relationships with their algal and bacterial
the world’s largest organisation, or indeed from any third-party marine partners. The plan is to build an
source, fits in any of these four concepts,
institute of innovation, a ‘living museum,’
then Dr Dean and his team recognise that it
live coral Biobank to must be appropriate and must be supported. if you like. It would be a state of the art
building right here in the heart of Port
It’s almost become a bible for remedial and Douglas with sufficient funding to open it
create an insurance corrective future actions on the reef. But that to the public, tourists, scientists, educators
philosophy needs time, organisation and and of course the next generation who are
policy for the coral funding. already showing they know much more than
Amazingly to have achieved their present their parents when it comes to the efforts
reef community with position so quickly, GBR Legacy currently required and what is needed to maintain the
has just three paid staff and about 20 health of the reefs of the world.
a living, thriving volunteers but has raided over half a million Much of the GBR Legacy’s work to date has
dollars and carried out their major research, been getting out on the Great Barrier Reef and
environment that education and media expeditions that have cataloguing the best and worst of the affected
supported some of the best scientists, media
guarantees its professionals and educators in the world. areas and noting where the reefs are suffering
from the coral bleaching and where they are
Fortunately, because of their dedicated and surviving, even thriving. All this information
survival. determined activities, funding is now being gathered and catalogued in Port Douglas
attracted from all over the world and offers
is being shared and the collaboration with
PORT DOUGLAS MAGAZINE 27