Iggy Reef Guardians 2020 was quite lucky to have had their opportunity to still do sustainability projects this year despite the interruption of COVID-19. Several staff members and students were still able to attend in the Clean Up Australia Day weekend at Aplin’s Weir in March. Our Principal, Mr Shaun Clarke, has always been helpful in assisting staff and students on the day despite his busy schedule having to attend the Bishop’s Mass right after the clean up. The plan for next year is to do Step Up and Clean Up Australia Day at School. This will be Dr Lloyd’s brain child plan to carry out for 2021. Deep into COVID-19, GBRMPA initiated Zoom meetings with other Reef Guardian Schools and Iggy Reef Guardians was well represented by Atticus D’Mello, Mebin Martin, Kaleb Lewis and Dante Calliste. Discussions were mainly focused on protocols when visiting the reef. Not to be outdone, Greg Christ, the mover and shaker of EREBB, managed to entice St Kevin’s College (a New Zealand brother school) and Edmund Rice College from Wollongong, to discuss with Iggy Reef Guardians, their sustainability projects around the College, through Zoom meeting discussions. It was a surprise discovery that students from Edmund Rice College and IPC,
both struggle with students finding it difficult to clean up after morning tea and lunch breaks when their seating areas have rubbish bins situated almost a metre from their seats! Students from St Kevin's, on the other hand, didn’t have any issues with plastic rubbish at all as their schools have banned single use plastics and their students can not leave the cafeteria if they haven’t washed their cutleries. Sustainability guru, Patrick McMahon had been busy rejuvenating the original no dig garden near Brother’s house rainforest with some green thumb recruits this year. They have started cultivating some herbs to kick-start this year’s green thumb club. The sustainability group had their recruits collecting tins for the 10 cent exchange and they are laughing themselves on the way to the bank with their collection along with the count of tins collected from the hoop shooting corner at the Quadrangle. A big thank you to staff and students who have participated in the Reef Guardians and Sustainability efforts this year despite the COVID interference. Catherine Ventic | Teacher
Reef Guardians and Sustainability FRONT ROW: Connor Kenyon, Daniel Gregory, Mebin Martin, Declan Keyes-West, Mitchell Parker, Atticus D'Mello, Emil Jomon SECOND ROW: Ms. C. Ventic, Ms B. McLean, Kaleb Lewis, Jacob Pugh, Dr R. Lloyd, Mr P. McMahon ABSENT: Dante Calliste
Ignatius Park College 2020
153
COMMUNITY AND CULTURE
Sustainability and Reef Guardians
