Making headlines this month was our Prime Minister's highly anticipated visit to Tuvalu, where he assured our Pacific Island neighbours that their plight to save their nations is not as important as the revenue Australia receives from exporting thermal coal.
Meanwhile, back home, cane growers are providing a substantial platform for the one scientist who says the reef is "actually in great order", and the Queensland State Government is proposing new legislation that would see climate protesters face harsher fines than the environmental vandals they oppose.
Voices for the environment are more important than ever, and together we are strong! The best kind of action is community action, so find a way to get involved and together we will shape the future.
Looking for inspiration? Green Drinks is held on the second Friday of every month, and if you live outside of Townsville, investigate starting your own!
In this edition:
- Upcoming Events
- AGM - Wed 18 September
- Climate Strike - Sat 20 September
- Trivia Night - Fri 18 October
- Our Activities:
- Campaigns Update
- JCU Market Day
- Meet our Interns!
- Member of the Month (new feature!)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Annual General Meeting: Wednesday 18 September
You're invited! Our AGM only comes around once a year, and it provides a great opportunity for our members to come together and celebrate the achievements of our organisation and elect members to our Management Committee!
Global Climate Strike: Friday 20 September
On Friday the 20th of September, people of all ages will be converging on Strand Park from 9am until midday for a Global Climate Strike. Come along and show your support to help make this another huge day of climate change headlines. All welcome!
Trivia Night: Friday 18 October
Save the date! It's our famously fun fundraising event, and you won't want to miss out! Mark the date in your diary and keep it clear at all costs! More information to come...
OUR ACTIVITIES
Campaigns Update
August has been a productive month of strategic planning, grant writing for campaign projects and preparing for meetings with Ministers next week when Queensland's 93 Members of Parliament meet in Townsville for the Regional Parliamentary Sitting. There are many issues for us to raise, but our focus will be the proposed new 'Reef regulations' for improving water quality to the Great Barrier Reef and private leases within Hinchinbrook National Park. We look forward to letting you know how it goes in the next edition of Paperbark!
JCU Market Day
Thanks to everyone who stopped to say hello, sign-up, contribute to our petition and pose with our giant postcard at JCU's Semester 2 Market Day! We hope you get a lot out of your involvement with us, whatever form that may take.
JCU students actively engaged with our campaign to oppose privatising National Parks by signing our petition and posing with our giant postcard.
Meet Our Interns!
Earlier this month, NQCC welcomed aboard two new interns from JCU. Parimal and Mapendo are studying Social Work at the university - a sector that is becoming increasingly affected by the impacts of environmental disasters, poor environmental management and climate change. We welcome their fresh perspectives on the environmental issues we face as a society, and appreciate the opportunity to grow and share our knowledge.
Mapendo and Parimal are currently undergoing their Social Work internships with NQCC.
MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Craig Turner
Craig Turner lives in Townsville and joined NQCC's membership earlier this year. Here he answers a few questions to help us get to know him better.
What made you become a member of NQCC?
I joined NQCC to be around more people interested in looking after our environment, and to get more ideas about how I can contribute.
What are your life passions?
My life passion is to enjoy the world we live in every day. I would like to see sustainability and the environment put first. I would like to see new ideas to solve our old problems, not just for North Queensland, but for our little blue green planet as Douglas Adams so aptly described our home.
What are your hopes for the future of North Queensland?
I hope to have more opportunities to have conversations with people to listen and try to understand different points of view. I would like to see more environmental employment opportunities particularly focusing on sustainability, and a more ethical and equity based focus in our society.
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Our membership base contains a diverse wealth of knowledge, passions and experiences, and we'd love to learn more about the people who make our organisation strong! Each month we will endeavour to reach out to a different member to learn about what drives them, and what NQCC means to them. Thanks Craig for being our very first Member of the Month!
Could you be next? Become a member now!
Volunteers Wanted!
Bicycle Network needs volunteers to count bikes for the Super Tuesday 2019 bike count. Each volunteer will receive a $60 donation in their name to a club or organisation of their choice.
When: Tuesday 3rd September, from 7am – 9am
Why: Data collected is used by Council to help make it easier and safer for more people to ride bikes.
Register at: https://cam.bicyclenetwork.com.au/traffic-survey/41/
Keep doing great things. We hope to see you at the AGM!
Yours naturally,
Tarquin & Crystal on behalf of the team at NQCC
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