I guess everyone remembers the defining moments in their life.  I remember mine as vividly as if it was just yesterday, and not many seasons ago…. 

One of THE MOST defining moments in my life came when me and a friend of the time made an agreement cemented with a handshake.  I remember sitting on the front steps of my year four classroom, shaking hands with my friend in a pact never to be forgotten.   We decided right then that we would become marine biologists. 

My path since that moment had been set towards that ultimate goal- I wanted to be a marine biologist. I loved the water.  I surfed, I swam, I snorkeled, I even tried my hand at sailing.  I excelled at science at school, and after finishing high school I made the move to James Cook University, right up there at the epicenter of the marine field- the Great Barrier Reef.  I loved university- it was hard, it was challenging, but most of all- it opened my mind to a myriad of opportunities.  I volunteered my time wherever I could in order to gain knowledge in new fields of research, which took me to some amazing places along the coastline of north Queensland- many of them small rivers and tributaries, but also amazing islands including Lizard, and Orpheus Island.  I helped with some of the very first test surveys for Reef Check- looking at the possibility of using this method of Reef Monitoring internationally, as well as looking at gobies population dynamics, Queensland mud crab tendencies to be right versus left handed, Butterfly fishes home ranges and the implications of changes in these ranges, and in addition to all this- I managed to complete my Honours in Marine Parasitology. 

I loved and still love insects of all shapes and sizes, and I loved studying parasitology.  They are such interesting and some say evolution pushing critters.  I was one of the lucky ones- I fell into work quickly with the CSIRO in Brisbane, and then the Queensland Museum and Sunshine Coast University and Underwater World.  I saw some amazing things and became part of some fantastic research projects- even getting to meet many of my ‘on paper’ idols- the ones whose papers I had read and studied and used to collate my own thoughts and theories into practice.  I was working alongside these people- a truly amazing experience in itself. 

But the travel bug found me and boy did it bite me hard, so I went in search of places, people and experiences to cure this bug’s insatiable hunger for culture.  I travelled around the world, to Africa, Europe, the UK, USA and South America.  I met amazing people, had amazing experiences and left with a mind full of memories.  I returned home, got married and tried to settle down (or so I thought).  But that travel bug had bitten hard, and he was starting to invade my immune system again. 

I travelled Australia for a while, working the snow fields.  I grew quickly in the ranks and ended up managing several venues on the mountain.  But hospitality is not my passion.  It is a way to travel, and a way to meet an array of wonderful and interesting people, but I felt lost.  I tried to use my passion for the environment to do good, and started a recycling campaign within our companies.  I recycled everything and everything.  I reused, reduced and recycled.  I looked into energy efficient practices, and time management.  But it wasn’t enough.  Not everyone liked my green approach to things, and although I have always been welcomed back, I felt I was ready to move on.  I wanted a new challenge. 

I landed a job as a biodiversity officer on Christmas Island, far far far off the coast of Australia.  Now THAT is isolation.  There were 800 people living on the island at the time.  Of these, only 15% were white Australian, with the rest of the population being made up of people from Malaysia and China.  Culture shock alert!  I started out living in the middle of the jungle at the research house, with no phone reception, a car that wouldn’t start and the closest form of civilization not particularly within walking distance (but hey- everywhere is walking distance if you have enough time, right?). The island is absolutely beautiful.  Most of it is inaccessible by car, and the only reason I was able to see any of it was because I worked to Parks Australia, and part of my job was to hike through forest all day every day searching for tiny orange tags on trees or at the end of a steep rocky drop off and survey what was going on around it.    I rescued endemic birds such as the Christmas Island Frigate and Abbotts booby, we abseiled cliff faces, climbed ravines, and walked up painfully steep rocky outcrops with birds on sticks just to get them home safe and sound.  I cut my way through Pandanus ‘forests’ to find Toufers (the opposite to waterfalls because they grow, not erode) where populations of blue crabs survive, and tried to eradicate the island from what I believe to be one of the nastiest creatures to have ever invaded another country.  These critters invade, and then out-compete just about every living creature they come across- the yellow crazy ant.  Then just when we thought the hard yards were over- rehabilitation time!!  We would walk for hours on end with buzz light-year looking spray packs on our back to get rid of the non native flora and replace it with one of many native species we had in our nursery.  We would trek through areas untouched for years, and find passion fruit vines climbing up the side of a coconut palm- and find our lunch for the day.  Yum! 

Christmas Island was amazing, and I saw one of the most amazing natural sights I had ever seen- the Red Crab migration.  When the crab migration started, it was the parks staff that got up early to help move the crabs off the road, so they wouldn’t be hit by passing traffic.  We would sit on the front of our cars with rakes while someone drove, just to make sure we didn’t hit any crabs on the way around, and man, were there crabs.  60000 red crabs (only a fraction of the original population- due to the crazy ant problem) make their way to the sea to mate and dance their eggs off into the sea.  Dusk and dawn you could find us there watching, and making sure they were safe.  Honestly one of the most awesome experiences ever.  And then our hard work paid off- 6 weeks later, on Australia day, the sands turned red as the tiny little baby crabs made the arduous journey back onto the land and up the hills to find a new home.  The first return the island had seen in 10 years.  Amazing what some caring, dedicated people can achieve when they work together. These tiny crabs had survived the weeks at sea with whale sharks, manta rays and a variety of fish, and they had made it home. 

 During this time, I also managed to jump on the boats with National Geographic and BBC to help film some amazing footage of the carnage of the red crabs life, and help to tag some whale sharks with GPS tags.  Very cool.  I also got involved with the Islands Reef Check Australia surveys- turns out all that work of looking into the viability on an international scale worked out after all.  Life was great- diving every weekend, caving in remote caves no more that 50 people had ever seen, a variety of endemic species on our doorstep…  but the island is small… very small.

And sometimes the workers on the bottom of the pyramid don’t have much say.  The endemic Pipistrelle bat was critically endangered, and we wanted to save it.  We offered to work extra hours, to do more call analysis, to look for more sites, to add more camera traps…. but alas it wasn’t enough.  The Pipistrelle bat lost its fight, and is now classified as extinct.  It was with this feeling of powerlessness and despair (amongst other things) that I decided to leave.  I needed to be able to help on a larger scale.  I needed people to listen to the information available, and want to help.

I really wanted to use my passion and knowledge to do something good, so I joined the Queensland Turtle Tagging group on their annual turtle tagging/nesting/rodeo mission to Lady Musgrave Island.  If you have never sat on a white sandy beach enjoying an afternoon coffee whist hundreds if nesting female turtles make the arduous climb to the perfect spot to lay their eggs- of which only 1 in 1000 will ever survive to adulthood- make sure you do.  The work is hard, but the sheer wonder you feel from being a part of such an amazing natural experience ins surely one of the best natural highs in the world.  A few short weeks weren’t enough.  I went back again the following year.  Just recently I joined the team again, this time up at Mon Repo to tag female green, loggerhead and flat back turtles, and monitor their hatchlings as they make their way to the water, and start their long journey around the world and home again.   I highly recommend this experience to all.

Using my turtle tagging experience, I landed a very interesting job in Mozambique, Africa.  I was hired as the turtle project leader, but quickly moved into the role of Whale Shark Interpretive Officer for the local dive shop, and assistant volunteer coordinator for All Out Africa.  My job entailed taking volunteers and people from around the world on a small boat every day in search of Manta Rays, Whale Sharks, Dolphins and Turtles.  It was amazing.  I didn’t get paid a dime, but I ended up doing up to three tours a day for the simple joy of it.  I loved this job, and because of my friendships with local researchers such as Andrea Marshall (check out Andrea: Queen of the Mantas- a BBC natural world series episode), Simon Peirce (A world whale shark specialist, director of the Foundation for the Protection of Marine Mega fauna and Eyes On The Horizon), and Mike Rutzen(check out Mike Rutzen-Shark Man- another BBC natural world series episode), I quickly became known as turtle girl, and the opportunities for research grew.  I completed my Dive Masters through the local dive shop, Tofo Scuba, and managed to organize a research boat out once a week in which I was able to mix all of my favorite pastimes in what can only be described as some of the best natural experiences ever. 

First of all, I managed to swim into a feeding frenzy of whale sharks- I counted 45, there may have been more, although I was trying to take the appropriate ID photos of each one, and was getting mighty confused.  All my clients jumped back into the boat- they thought I was crazy, but feeding frenzies don’t occur very often- or not that we get to witness, so it was an awesome opportunity to gather information!!  I was also required to try and remove parasites from the top lip of a whale shark for identification (not the 45, but an individual later on).  Here I was using my LOVE of parasites and my OBSESSION with the marine field to culminate in the best moment of my life- taking parasites form the world’s largest shark.  For the record- it’s really hard.   Like, really hard.   That day was extremely tiring- as these animals are very fast, and parasites are really small, and don’t want to be taken off a whale shark; but that day can only be described in one word: AMAZING. 

I spent 9 months over 2 years in Mozambique looking at the poaching of a variety of animals including turtles, rays and whale sharks.  I went swimming with the world’s largest turtle- the leatherback (another highlight for me) and taught local people about the importance of looking after their natural resources rather than eating or selling them.  We had meetings with venue/lodge owners, and dive shop managers from within a 600 km radius, AND the mayor of the Inhambane province (all in Portuguese- which made it a little hard to follow discussions sometimes).  We managed to convince the powers that be that there WAS a problem, and we looked at collaborative ways that local communities, the Maritime Police, Fisheries and the public could all get involved.  Using my All Out Africa volunteers we set up survey drops for every venue within the area, daily sighting sheets and appropriate signing for along the coastline.  We did dawn and dusk recon missions, we had film crews to help monitor movements, we did in water turtle counts (using Reef Check once again) but most importantly- we TALKED to people.  Not just those at the top, but those at the bottom.  Those caught in between an animal’s rights, and the right to feed your family.  We got to the crux of the matter, and established ways to work with them, not against them.  It was once again hard work, but we could see things starting to happen.  Big things.  Finally, I was making a difference- people were listening, AND willing to help. 

But volunteering eventually catches up with you.  With a family member passing, another fighting breast cancer, and a new mortgage, it was time to head back home.  I left the project in good hands, and to this day, make sure I keep in touch to make sure all the hard work is still continuing.

I have visited some amazing off the beaten track areas.  I have travelled through the Bolivian jungle in search of the critically endangered Giant otter, swam with pink dolphins in caiman infested waters, tagged seals off South Australia, helped to rehabilitate a variety of animals in the deserts of Namibia, and am in the process of helping to set up one of the world’s largest animal hospitals in a country struggling for identity- Zambia.  I now volunteer as a project officer for Reef Check Australia (I knew helping out all those years ago was useful!), teaching people how to monitor our reefs using underwater reef survey techniques.  All of this has brought me joy beyond words.  But it’s not enough.  I want more!

People are often quick to assume that those people who want to help others are selfless.  This is the case for many I’m sure, however for me; I feel that I am selfish.  I enjoy each of these experiences immensely.  I get to learn, teach and experience new cultures each day.  I meet new people, and make friends all over the world.  I help people, and animals.  But they help me too.  I am a better person for all the places I have seen and the people I have met. 

I am an action hero at heart, and am proud to be a part of the Deforest Action movement.  Such a project reaches out and grabs people’s attention.  It wakes us up and makes us want to fight for a good cause, and that’s what I want to be.  I want to be a fighter.  I am enthusiastic, a little crazy (aren’t we all?) and I never give up.  I want to educate people about what’s going on.  I want them to UNDERSTAND, and WANT to help.  I am working around the clock shamelessly publicizing, promoting and fundraising for Deforest Action, whenever and wherever I can, so that I WILL see you in Borneo. 

Thank you!

Jodi

Lets be frank. I sincerely dislike fundraising.  The vacant stares as you try to engage people in a conversation, the awkward sideways glances as people to quickly work out how they avoid you.  The problem as I see it is that more often than not, the seller or fundraiser truly BELIEVES in their cause- but sometimes this can be overpowering to the general public.  So, ultimately, how do you effectively fundraise, and educate your target audience in the process? 

I truly believe in Deforest Action, and in their Borneo Project, so finding the enthusiasm to put my plan into action wasn’t hard.  The hard part was getting those around me to believe, and feel enthusiastic too.  I thought hard about how I wanted to promote both myself, and Deforest Action, whist fundraising, and I decided to put together a plan with several points, to give myself a varied approach, in an attempt to attract a variety of people.  Ultimately, I want not only to get the word out about this project, but also to raise money, and gain recruits in the process.  I decided the best place to start was to talk to people.  I work part time in a bar, so I started asking everyone over the bar about contacts in media.  I contacted every radio station, newspaper and TV program in the state of Queensland.  I even contacted some Australia wide programs.  While I waited to hear from any of the above I contacted local bars, restaurants, coffee shops and the like.  I wanted to organize a few simple events that wouldn’t take too much effort on anyone’s behalf, but that would produce a favorable income for my $5000 goal.  I have organized fundraising events for several not for profit groups in the past, and my experiences have always been the same.  The people who ultimately attend are the same few that have helped you with all of your projects throughout your life.  They are always the same green thinking people who earn little enough to understand the significance of even a few hard earned dollars.  But I didn’t just want these people involved.  I wanted to target the larger population that is happy to sit back and let everyone else do the work.  I wanted the ‘does it really matter if I help or not’ group to actually think about their actions and choices.  I wanted to challenge them into doing something.  I started off simple.  I used my work place as a platform to launch my ideas. 

I made some contacts with media personnel and managed to get myself some publicity.  I made it into the Sunshine Coast Daily –twice! Although admittedly one was for helping with a whale rescue, not Deforest Action.  I also managed to secure two radio interviews- one for HOT FM, and one for Sunshine FM- which was live, and right in-between two dives of Stradbroke Island.  That one may not have gone exactly to plan, but was enjoyable.    Although these were helpful, I found that because each interview was so short, and there was no priming me as to what kind of questions they were going to ask, I had prepared for questions about the project, why, where, who etc…  not ‘what kind of bathroom do you think you will be using’!!  It all seemed a little surreal to me, but I thank each media outlet fully, for getting behind me and helping me out.

I talked to a lot of people, and networked my little heart out, but finally I had some concrete ideas take place.  After a lot of proposals, meetings and schmoozing, I had the official ok to use a private area on the beach for a sausage sizzle. Stage one of my plan.  I contacted local organic butchers via email and follow up phone calls.  Of all the places I called, only one offered me a discount (I tried to get donations, but alas, no one stepped up to the plate).  I had everything in place, and despite the forecast for rains, the weather gave it its best- a beautiful hot sunny day.  Perfect for a sausage sizzle!!  We made friends with the local life guards and in return for free sausages, they spruked with the best of them to entice people to our stall.  Unfortunately, sausage sizzles can be very hit and miss.  The sun was shining, but Mooloolaba relies quite heavily on tourism- a lot of the weekend traffic comes from Brisbane.  And yet, despite this beautiful day, many people stayed away.  A lot of it may have to do with the bum forecast, but we did get the word out, we got a few donations, and we at the very least covered the cost of the goods and made a small profit.  Not a great start, but a start all the same.

Part two of my plan was to approach venues/coffee shops/restaurants etc to have a day in which a small amount (such as a dollar or two) of their sales of for example their coffee, would go towards the project.  I approached several companies big and small and only one accepted the challenge.  The Surf Club Mooloolaba.  Lucky for me, they proposed two events.  As weekends are the only days in which they do breakfast, they decided to offer me two days.  One of these days coincided with World environment day, which meant I had some great reasons to be promoting such a worthy and related cause!!  I contacted a friend who works as a graphic designer and managed to get some posters made up and printed for free (yay for small victories!).  I put posters up all over Mooloolaba. I posted links on friends pages and anywhere I could get them, and told every single person I met on the street, over the bar, and anyone else that would listen!  I turned up bright and early and talked with strangers, friends and family about the project and the help they were providing just by turning up.  Then I gave them the info they would need to sign up as a recruit.  I have yet to find out how well the event went, but it seemed busy, which is promising!  I have the last of these events (there was two offered) this weekend, so hopefully all my friendly persistence will culminate in plenty of people coming to support Deforest Action!  The best part about ‘functions’ such as this is that realistically there is very little work needed, as most of the infrastructure is already in place.  Ultimately, as long as you are media savvy and promote yourself, the venue gets a boost in sales for the day, so they don’t mind giving you a small donation from each one.  Its win win win- the venue gets more people through their doors than normal, you receive a nice donation, and the people that help you get a meal or a coffee etc without actually having to fork over a donation themselves, but they feel good for helping you out!  I do think however that the secret to this plan is to ensure that you show your presence on the day.  Be there to answer questions, and show that you take your patrons help seriously.  If you don’t turn up to your own function, you really aren’t helping yourself.

Part three of my plan is raffles.  As part of my proposal to all venues etc contacted, I wanted to run raffles as a quick, easy and rewarding way for people to donate a few dollars with the chance to win some decent prizes.  I contacted a variety of venues such as zoos, aquariums, restaurants, shops etc, as well as alcohol reps in the area to no avail.  One or two donated bits and pieces, but I found that realistically, I have so far needed to buy most of the prizes.  Ultimately, if you sell all of the available tickets (usually 100 in a booklet), you make a small amount of money after the costs of the goods.  With the help of some sprukers on the microphone, on a busy day at least one raffle will be drawn, and the result is a quick bit of cash with a small amount of effort.  These raffles work well, except that they do have limitations.  One is on the number of people.  If the venue doesn’t have enough people in it, you won’t be able to sell enough tickets, so it doesn’t make it worthwhile.  This is obviously a judgment call- but from my experience from the first couple of raffles I did- make sure there is a crowd.  There is nothing worse than talking to the same few people over and over trying to sell the last tickets.  The other problem is that in many clubs such as RSLs, Bowls and Surf clubs, raffles are drawn all the time, so it was hard to coordinate a specific time that I was able to do it, but also to ensure the prizes are different to everyone else.  Overall I have found that the response is positive, and many people want to help out once they hear what the cause is. 

Part four is donation boxes.  A small home made wooden box (I used recycled wood from a renovation) with the relevant signage on it makes an easy source of income, and a good way to advertise, even if the actual amount being collected isn’t very large.  Near a bar or the front of a venue works well, as people often have spare change that they may not wish to keep in their pocket.  I have found that some venues are happy to have one, and I check on them regularly.  Others may not wish to have them up all the time.  I am respectful of people in my bar not wanting ‘their’ tips being put into the box, although I personally make an effort to show that I put everything I make into the donation box, which more often than not stems a flow of customers who tend to do the same.  If nothing else, the boxes are an avenue to advertise what the project is while people wait to be served.  I try and make it work in my favour.  So far the boxes have been used in conjunction to all of my fundraising events.  Once again, they are not a big money maker, but I think it is a helpful and easy way of gaining small donations, and sharing information.

And Finally, part five of my plan is Munkees for Munkeys.  I have a little talent in creating arts and I love to make things for friends.  For years I have been making Munkees as gifts, and thought this would be the perfect avenue for them.  All proceeds are donated to the project.  People get something they like, and feel good buying it because they know that the money is going to a good cause.  The problem with this plan is that the Munkees are very time consuming, and realistically I am making them for very little profit, which means I am donating a lot of my own money into the project as well as a lot of my time, but hey, I don’t mind- its for a good cause, right!  I have a variety of arts and crafts that I have been selling over the years with the same idea- all profits to go to different charities.  I have made plenty of things such as fish, turtles, recycled paper books, blackboards and Munkees.  All these products are made from completely recycled materials (except for the paint and any canvases).  Wood is sourced from old job sites (my dad is a builder), and the rest of the materials are taken from the bar- its amazing what you can make from corks and bottle tops.  They may not all be big money makers, but products are made with pieces that would end up in the trash, so its nice to see such things hanging on peoples walls- once what was trash becomes a centerpiece.  I love it.

So all in all, I have been busy.  I have tried and tested all of the above ideas, and will continue to use these until time runs out.  I would love to have friends in high places with deep pockets for good causes, however I do not.  I have wonderful friends and family who will help me with all my whimsical ideas, and I love them for it.  But as I said at the start- fundraising isn’t fun.  Sure, at times it can be, but it is hard.  It takes dedication, a lot of research and a strong frame of mind as not to be disheartened by those who don’t want to help, or turn the other cheek.  Fundraising ‘hardens’ you, but you learn what works and what doesn’t.  I don’t waste my time organizing things that I don’t believe I can pull off.  I have done that in the past.  But I have learnt.  I will continue to learn, and I will continue to work towards my goals, because I want this project to work; and I want to be a part of it- on the ground, in Borneo.