Close Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Read Our Newspapers Online
    • Read the Latest Western Port News
    • Read the Latest Mornington News
    • Read the Latest Southern Peninsula News
    • Read the Latest Frankston Times
    • Read the Latest Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
  • Competition
  • Home New
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Sunday, July 6
Facebook X (Twitter)
MPNEWSMPNEWS
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Home New
Breaking News
MPNEWSMPNEWS
Home»News»Beach clean-up for environmentalist
News

Beach clean-up for environmentalist

By Liz BellMay 23, 2022Updated:May 24, 2022No Comments2 Mins Read
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
Memorial clean-up: Sea Shepherd’s Narelle Huxley, right, and Pete Markowiec and Nola Heaney, left, join volunteers to sort the rubbish collected from Mount Martha beach South.

HUNDREDS of volunteers from across Mornington Peninsula and Melbourne donned gloves for a Mount Martha beach clean-up on Sunday 15 May in memory of environmentalist Trent Williams, who died on 9 April while scuba diving.

Williams was a highly respected marine biologist who had a long association with the Sea Shepherd organisation, leading its marine debris team of volunteers focussed on keeping the peninsula’s bays and waterways clear of litter.

The peninsula-based marine educator was passionate about teaching young people to care for the peninsula’s beaches and was one of the leaders of the Save Flinders Pier campaign.

Williams led scuba teams to remove rubbish from the water and seabed beneath the pier and photographed the Flinders pier structure as part of the group’s independent condition report.

His Save Flinders Pier colleagues remembered him as someone who provided energy, experience, knowledge and wisdom to the campaign to generate public interest.

His mother Nola Heaney said the beach clean had been an opportunity to remember what Williams loved best – looking after the marine environment.

“It’s wonderful to see all these people turn up, we are not only cleaning the beach and removing all this harmful litter that would otherwise end up in the bay, we are honouring Trent and what he stood for,” she said.

Sea Shepherd’s Narelle Huxley said the waste included many bottles dumped among the foreshore bushes, but the main items found were plastic food packaging and tiny nurdles, or pre-production plastic pellets, which could harm marine life.

“Nurdles are a major cause of concern to out marine environment, as marine animals eat them and they are highly persistent pollutants that can travel a long way,” she said.

“These ones we found today have probably entered the water in Melbourne, where there are factories, and made their way down here due to currents.” The nurdles did not break down in the environment and were toxic to marine life that ingested them.

Huxley said some of the waste could be recycled, including bottles, cans and some plastics, but much of it was destined for landfill.

First published in the Mornington News – 24 May 2022

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Advocates celebrate abuse law change

July 3, 2025

Railway station scam

July 1, 2025

Flinders result unaffected by poll blunder – AEC

July 1, 2025

Grand Hotel’s tower revamp signals new chapter for icon

June 26, 2025
Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Peninsula Essence Magazine – Click to Read
Peninsula Kids Magazine – Click to Read
Letters to the Editor
Property of the Week

14 Bass Street, McCrae

June 3, 2025
Council Watch

Shire secures $3.9m to tackle road safety

June 16, 2025

Kinder flyer flag snub prompts councillors to take over

June 10, 2025
100 Years Ago This Week

Baxter – On The ‘Wallaby’ with a walking group

July 1, 2025
Interview

Firefighter shows skills from sea to snow

February 5, 2024
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Local History
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Home New
About

Established in 2006, Mornington Peninsula News Group (MPNG) is a locally owned and operated, independent media company.

MPNG publishes five weekly community newspapers: the Western Port News, Mornington News, Southern Peninsula News, Frankston Times and Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News.

MPNG also publishes two glossy magazines: Peninsula Essence and Peninsula Kids.

Facebook X (Twitter)
© 2025 Mornington Peninsula News Group.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.