CONNECTING WITH COUNTRY: CLEANING UP THE MANGROVES IN NEWCASTLE WITH TAKE 3 AMBASSADOR DIANNE MCGRATH

We were excited to meet Take 3 Ambassador and Clipper Race crew member Dianne McGrath in person during her recent stopover in Newcastle, NSW. Here’s her account of the time we spent together cleaning up the mangroves along Throsby Creek.  

The fourth leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race took me from Fremantle to Newcastle and provided the opportunity to be involved in a mangrove clean-up organised by a local Aboriginal business, Spiritual Waterways, and the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club.  

A group from the Clipper Race fleet met with Aunty Theresa, a proud Elder of the Newcastle Worimi Community and Spiritual Healer who welcomed us to Country, sharing the story of the region. She conducted a cleansing spiritual smoking ceremony before we worked in groups to collect litter from the mangroves. We were joined by Jacqui, Janet, and Kate from Take 3 for the Sea and it was a delight to finally meet them in person. 

Mangroves are valuable fish nurseries and play a key role in preventing foreshore erosion. The mangroves in Carrington are also home to families of flying foxes, which I was fortunate to spot whilst walking along the protective boardwalk. Once a month the local community gather on a Sunday to clean up the mangroves in the Throsby Basin. King tides wash litter into the mangroves, which then becomes trapped in the mud and between the vegetation until it is washed out to sea on future tides. Holding regular clean ups of the area is important to protect the ecosystem of the mangroves as well as the waterways they feed into.  

I had expected that there would be a lot of lightweight litter such as plastics and Styrofoam, and I was not disappointed. However, I was surprised to see larger items such as car tyres and parts of old bicycles amongst the mangroves as well. I wondered if they had washed into to mangroves, or were dumped there?  

Aunty Theresa had told us to take care of our smart ones – the children – whose lives start with such joy and promise. I like to think that every time we do something to care for Country we also care for the future of all humanity, including our smart ones. At the end of the mangrove clean-up, I felt more connected with this country I had been fortunate to be on, and very conscious of the great responsibility that we all have in protecting our waterways.