Bellarine Peninsula parents are holding a free sand-sculpting competition with the hope of bringing local families together as part of a community call for urgent action on climate change.
Jacqui Dunn is a local parent of a teenager and is helping to organise the event under the banner of Australian Parents for Climate Action, which was founded in Ocean Grove. She hopes it will show that the community wants to see ambitious climate action.
“Our kids’ future depends on how our political leaders respond to climate change now,” she said.
“We want our political leaders to commit to making decisions that put our kids’ safety first, not fossil fuel profits.”
The event was originally scheduled for last November, but had to be postponed due to poor beach conditions resulting from flood waters.
The sand-sculpting competition is hoped to be a positive, family-friendly event open to all members of the community.
“We know parents on the Bellarine, Surf Coast and Geelong care about climate change and the impact it will have on their kids’ lives and we hope we can get that message out,” Jacqui said.
“The Ocean Grove beach is an ideal place to witness first-hand the impacts of recent extreme weather, with the flood waters from the Barwon River turning our blue ocean into brown polluted water, dead fish washed up and bacterial foam lining the shore for over four weeks.”
The free sand-sculpting event is on Sunday April 2 from 10am to noon at Ocean Grove main beach.
