Clean-Up Australia is celebrating 20 years this year, and on Wednesday 24th March, 104 students, teachers and parents travelled to Facing Island off the coast of Gladstone for a clean up along the eastern foreshore, improving this unique marine habitat. Data was collected from the clean-up and submitted to Tangaroa Blue for inclusion in the National Marine Debris Database to assist in developing strategies for long term care of our coast.

During the day approximately 3000 items of rubbish were collected by the students.  Most of this was found on the northern point of the island and in the sand dunes off the shore. After lunch, students walked along the eastern side of the island but unfortunately high tides of recent days had washed rubbish on the normally heavily polluted shore out to sea.  Students cleaned the nearby dunes where wind had carried the litter over. Photo Left: Year 6 & & students cleaning up at Facing Island.

A feeling of satisfaction from having done a job well was in the air that afternoon as the students enjoyed a swim at the Oaks before taking the barge back to the mainland. 

Jacquie Mackay frpm ABC Radio Capricornia interviewed Andy Nicholls, the Principal of St Francis Catholic Primary School and Isobelle Strickland and Reuben Taylor two Year 7 students that are joining in the Facing Island clean up at the end of the week for Clean Up Australia Day.

The children are calling this "Operation Facelift" and they see this as an important part of their school's environmental focus.

To hear the radio interview click here

Year 6 class at St Francis is planning on visiting nearby Facing Island off Gladstone to clean it up on the Schools Clean Up Day on March 3rd.  The class travelled there for an excursion last year and were very concerned about the amount of litter on the shore line (mostly from tankers who visit the Gladstone port). 

Students will not only clean up debris on the island, but also collect data on their finds which will be submitted to our National Marine Debris Database.

We look forward to seeing how much debris the students find!