Youth camp a success

A group of Aboriginal youths from the Down The Track program enjoyed an educational camping excursion to Robinson Crusoe Island, in the middle of Lake Cargelligo, last weekend.

Lachlan Shire Council supported the event with the attendance of one of its officers.

The excursion was organised by local ecologist Dr Adam Kerezsy from Dr Fish Contracting. Among those who attended were Acting Senior Environmental Water Manager Dr Joanne Lenehan from NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Mal Carnegie from Lake Cowal Conservation Centre and Cargelligo Wetlands and Lakes Council Chairperson Peter Skipworth.

The group took part in bird identification, bushwalking, water-quality testing and fish identification activities. They camped overnight on the island and the youths cooked chilli con carne in a camp oven on an open fire.

This is the second year the event has been held and the original idea came when Lana Masterson from Down the Track approached Dr Kerezsy and Dr Lenehan to see whether they could organise an environment-based day to engage the youths.

“There were many discussions with Adam and Jo after the youths expressed interest in environmental work and how we could expose the young people to all different pathways that exist in our local community,” said Ms Masterson.

The original idea grew into an overnight trip incorporating camping and adventure.

On this trip the team put nets in the lake overnight and caught over 1500 individual fish, over 95 per cent of which were native. The five native species were Australian smelt, gudgeon, un-specked hardyhead, flathead gudgeon and bony bream.

“The kids learnt that waters around the island are in fairly good ecological condition,” said Dr Kerezsy. “Lots of productivity and juvenile fish.”

Ms Masterson said the youths “absolutely loved the trip. They all took something different from it. The netting and fish counting was a big hit closely followed by the bush walk and bird spotting!

“They learnt how to set and empty the fish nets, the names of birds they had seen before but never knew what they were called, how to use the instrument that measures oxygen in the water and that there are healthy numbers of native fish in the Lake.

“These young people are the potential ecologists and environmental workers of the future!”

Ms Masterson thanked all who supported the event, including Lachlan Shire Council, and said she hoped to be able to run another camp sometime in the near future.