Seisia resident Eunice Sagaukaz does her bit to ensure the community’s beach is taken care of for generations to come. Photo: Supplied.
Seisia’s beachfront offers a beautiful place for community members to relax and enjoy the creations of Mother Nature. But it needs a little elbow grease to ensure it stays in tip-top condition.
As part of a major environmental campaign led by Tangaroa Blue and Clean Up Australia, the Great Barrier Reef Clean-up 2025 invites communities across Queensland to host events at their local beaches, rivers and creeks throughout October.
Seisia resident Talei Elu will lead a beach clean starting at Seisia Wharf on 25 October. She’s calling on her fellow community members to take pride in their environment and get involved.
“I’ll be starting the effort from 8 am to 5 pm and anyone can join in to help clean at different parts of the day,” she said. “It’s important for us to get behind this initiative because up here we’re so reliant on a healthy marine environment.
“Regular beach cleans help reduce the amount of marine debris that can be harmful for sea creatures, it reduces the presence of microplastics and harmful objects on the beaches that our families and kids enjoy.
“Plus, beach cleans get people out and active and doing something good for our community and environment.”
Ms Elu said Seisia and Northern Peninsula Area residents had been involved in various beach clean-ups over the years and it was a “no-brainer” to join the Great Barrier Reef Clean-up initiative.
The clean-up aims to remove as much marine debris as possible before it washes from catchment to reef during the wet season.
“Our community was particularly proactive with beach cleans during COVID and for a couple of wet seasons,” she said.
“Wet season will generally bring more marine debris up onto the beach, so there is much more to collect during those months.
“However, regular beach cleans mean there is less likelihood of microplastics getting into our ecosystem and it is always a source of pride to have a pristine beach.”
Ms Elu said dangerous items, such as needles, squid lure and knives, had been a cause for concern since doing regular beach clean-ups and wanted to ensure they were collected. But preventing as much debris from entering the reef as possible remained the major goal.
“My goal with every beach clean is to collect as much marine debris as we can, while educating kids and families about the importance of helping to keep our ecosystem marine debris-free,” she said.
“I think an important message is that you don’t have to wait for a beach clean event to help; even if you’re at the beach and see a few pieces of plastic or rope, taking a few pieces of debris with you and disposing of it properly can make a difference.”
For further information about the Seisia beach clean-up, contact Ms Elu at [email protected].
