News Details - Coastcare Australia
15/10/2008
TOP COASTAL ATHLETES SUPPORT 'LIFE ON THE EDGE'
| Many of Australia's top athletes are getting behind 'Life on the Edge' to show their support for the protection and preservation of our coastline. Coastcare is bringing together these ambassadors, who represent a wide range of coastal sports, to encourage everyone to get involved with 'Life on the Edge' and clock-up 100km of any non-motorised activity throughout the summer. We will be gradually revealing our ambassadors in the lead up to Coastcare Week (1-7 December), which will be used to launch the campaign. All ambassadors are supporting 'Life on the Edge' voluntarily because they share a passion for our beautiful, but fragile, coast and wish to thank the many Coastcare volunteers who look after the environment which has given them so much success and happiness. Read more about 'Life on the Edge' here. | |||||||||||
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Harley Ingleby Longboarder "If the waves haven't been breaking I have always enjoyed diving and swimming around the headlands, exploring caves and checking out the diversity of local coral and fish life. Looking after the coast and beaches will always be very important to me as I have made it my living, have grown up on it and enjoyed it on a daily basis my whole life." Hailing from Emerald Beach on NSW's north coast, Harley Ingleby is a two-time Australian Longboard Champion and has won the Australian Longboard Circuit three times. Heading into the second, and final round of the ASP World Longboard Titles (November 5-9), he is in prime position to be the new world champion. Good luck Harley! | ||||||||||
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Jesse Martin Sailor "I remember on one of my first trips up the queensland coast, noticing all the litter that has washed up - We were visiting beaches that no one gets to see, yet there’s litter there... You don’t see it floating but you see it when it washes up on the beach. Life on the Edge is about still having life and a lifestyle but also giving back a bit as well." Jesse Martin sailed into history in 1999 when he became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop, and unassisted. At 17, he departed from Melbourne in 1998 on his yacht, Lionheart. He arrived home in October 1999, 328 days later. Jesse wrote about his adventures in his book Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit, which was also made into a TV movie. | ||||||||||
Photograph by John Carter |
Allison Shreeve Windsurfer "I have raced in over forty countries, in some of the most pristine, and some of the most polluted waters on earth. Australia’s magnificent coastal areas, beaches and waterways should be appreciated and must be conserved." | ||||||||||
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Guy Leech Iron Man Guy is one of the most successful Iron Men ever, with an amazing 7 Uncle Toby's Iron Man Championships under his belt. He won the inaugural World Iron Man title, and also triumphed in his only attempt at Molokai, Hawaii's gruelling World Ocean Kayaking championship over 56kms.Crowned "Australia's Fittest Athlete" in 1994, Guy now whips other people into shape through his personal training business in Sydney. | ||||||||||
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Valerie Taylor Scuba Diver “If our unique species are to survive and thrive, we must preserve the spaces in which they live. This is an extremely important initiative, which allows the public to support groups by going out and enjoying the coastal environment whilst fundraising. After all we must remember that with our enjoyment comes a responsibility to protect and preserve this paradise for future generations.” A scuba diving pioneer, passionate conservationist and underwater photographer, Valerie has an underwater career spanning 5 decades! Along with her husband Ron, she was the first person to film a Great White shark without the protection of a cage, and also assisted in the filming of Jaws! She is an Order of Australia recipient, and although in her 70s, she still spends months each year on expeditions to remote corners of the earth to be with the sharks she has learned so much about. | ||||||||||
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Sacha Dench Freediver “There’s no better way to spend a Saturday morning than diving off Shelley Beach with my Coastcare group, Eco Divers. We collect plastic waste, untangle fishing line from the ocean, monitor sea grass and release marine life that has become entangled in shark nets. ‘Life on the Edge’ is great way to get out and enjoy our coastal playground, and raise money to keep groups like Eco Divers going.” Imagine being 50m under the sea with only the air in your lungs to keep you going? Freediving definately isn't for the faint hearted. Sacha is Australia's number 1 female freediver, and has held the Australian record for both time underwater (6min 22sec) and depth (46m) since 2002! | ||||||||||
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Jarad Kohlar Adventure Racer Jarad Kohlar is Australia’s top multi-sport adventure racer, taking life to edge regularly as he runs, rides, kayaks and even horserides to win some of the world’s most challenging endurance races, including a number of the gruelling Anaconda Adventure Race events, and most recently, the Tasmania Pure Freycinet Challenge. | ||||||||||
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