Lombok Turtle Rescue WA 2015
(Note: Service hours are total number of hours done by everyone attending, each person did roughly 20 hours)
In the early hours of 13th of December, 2015, 51 nervous but excited Western Australian Scouts and Leaders arrived at Perth Airport, ready to travel to the remote island of Gili Meno for the Lombok Turtle Rescue trip. We were all very tired from the early start but as we all watched the sun rise we became excited and
After a plane ride and a smooth ferry ride across to the island, we popped up our tents on the sandy beach, with beautiful views of Gili Air and the mountains of volcanoes of Lombok in front of us, and a cool breeze blowing, helping us with a bit of relief from the hot humidity we were yet to adjust to. After putting up our tents, we got to eat a delicious traditional dinner of Nasi Goreng and Mee Goreng, before walking to the turtle sanctuary to get a peek of what was ahead of us for the next couple of days. Feeling hot and exhausted, we all crashed into bed, ready to start our activities the next day.
Over the next couple of days, we got to partake in some amazing activities, such as litter picking snorkels across the beautiful bays, with a variety of marine life (including wild turtles!) and stunning corral that we would never get to see at home, water quality testing, where we learnt about water sources and collection, and how they conduct water quality testing, as well as setting up our own projects, all while working on our World Scout Environment badge, and working at the turtle sanctuary, in which we helped to feed and clean out the tanks for the turtles, and helping Bolong to fish for food for the turtles to eat. I am glad to report my patrol brought in the most fish (with some extremely weird looking fish) for the turtles. One of my highlights was the awesome Leave No Trace activities put on by the trainers, to help us with our Leave No Trace Awareness course. They were very fun and helpful.
On the second last day, the whole contingent travelled to the local school, and spent the morning playing some fun games, while also teaching them about not collecting turtle eggs to egg, and to pick up rubbish when they see it. We also gave the schoolchildren some Australiana gifts, which we had fun playing with.
On the last day, we all woke up very early, to watch our last beautiful sunrise over Gili Meno, and to pack up our tents and head home. After a rocky ferry ride back to the mainland, and a long wait at the airport, we finally arrived home, exhausted but also very happy.
During this trip, I met a lot of awesome Scouts who, had I not gone on this trip, would probably not been able to meet. I also got to hang out with friends I had also met on other trips. I also believe, as a PL, I was able to work more on my leadership skills, and most importantly, I learnt a lot about the environment around us, and in Gili Meno, and about turtles.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip. The skills and knowledge I learnt on this trip will be taken back to my Venturer Unit and my local community, and I hope I can continue to work to make our planet a better place.