DRAWING on her background in marine biology, local science teacher Bella Voulgaris will be giving a special talk during the Upwelling Festival next weekend.
Having recently moved to Portland from the Torquay surf coast area, she is often in the water either surfing, snorkelling or diving, inspiring her endless passion for nature connection.
Since moving to Portland, she has realized how “incredible this place is” and is excited to talk about it at Upwelling and listen to locals’ questions.
This year’s marine environment talks will take place at Macs Hotel in the Admella Room from 1pm to 3pm on November 4, where Portland Primary School teacher Ms Voulgaris will be speaking on the Great Southern Reef and its recent identity surge, and how this information can be communicated with young ones.
“I'm going to be speaking about how we can connect our local young people to our local marine environment,” she said.
“This whole stretch of coastline that hugs the southern Australian coast is called the Great Southern Reef and not many people know about it because it's had this recent identity surge.
“A big group of scientists came together and put forward this case for creating an identity around this big, interconnected reef system that stretches basically from Perth all the way around to Sydney.
“It's a super unique and diverse ecosystem which makes it so special, so I think living here locally and being literally on the doorstep of the Great Southern Reef is important to know about.
“I think it's important for people who are responsible for young people to be bringing it into our general conversations when we're talking about or when we're down at the beach.”
Ms Voulgaris talk is aimed at adults who interact with young people, such as teachers, parents, or carers.
“The angle I wanted to take was how can we connect our young people in Portland to the Great Southern Reef, so what are some strategies and ideas for parents, carers, grandparents, or anyone who spends a lot of time with kids and young people,” she said.
