Port Douglas International Year of the Reef Festival on October 24 and 25th, 2008

Schedule of Events

Friday, 24 October

• 9AM – 3 PM Reef Guardian Schools Future Leaders Eco Challenge
• 5-6 PM Port Douglas IYOR Children’s Underwater Film Festival (Clink Theatre)
• 7-9 PM Port Douglas IYOR Underwater Film Festival Session 1 (General Public) (Clink Theatre)

Saturday, 25 October

• 8-9:30 AM Beach cleanup (Four Mile Beach)
• 10:30-11:30 Free sausage sizzle for clean up helpers
• ALL DAY Visit booths at the Educational Fair
• 11 AM – 6 PM Underwater Photography Exhibition

Workshops and Presentations (PD Community Hall)

• 11:00 Underwater Photography workshop
• 12:00 Speak to a diver! Live link to Reef HQ
• 1:00Climate change presentation (GBRMPA)
• 2:15 Greening your small boat; Outboard engine emissions
• 3:00 Reef Check children’s workshop
• 4-5 PM Children’s Underwater Film Festival
• 5:30-6:15 Climate change presentation (GBRMPA)
• A sausage sizzle will be held all afternoon, from 12-6:30 PM
• 6:30-8:00 PM Futures Forum: “Climate change – where will we be in 50 years?” (Clink Theatre)
• 8:30-10:30 Underwater Film Festival, Session 2 (General Public) (Clink Theatre)

Festival Events

Reef Guardian Schools Future Leaders Eco Challenge (FLEC) 9 AM – 3 PM Students from local Reef Guardian schools will meet to share their environmental achievements from the past 12 months. Although this event is not open to the public, materials and activities created by the students will be on display during the Educational Fair on Saturday, October 25.

Underwater Film Festival Children’s Film Festival – Friday 5-6 PM and Saturday, 4-5 PM General Public Screenings – Friday 7-9 and Saturday 8:30-10:30 Location of all screenings: Clink Theatre The Children’s Film Festival features 11 short films from around the world, many of which were winners of the 2007 Antibes Underwater Film Festival. Several will be aired in English for the first time ever! The program for the Children’s Film Festival will be repeated on Saturday for those who are not able to make it on Friday.

For those not-so-young audience members, we have two different programs, so be sure to attend both Friday and Saturday’s airings. The General Public screenings include not only winners of the 2007 Antibes Underwater Film Festival, but also several features produced by our own local filmmakers.

Beach Clean Up 8-9:30, 4 Mile Beach and Marina Mirage Meet at one of our four muster spots; at the end of Baler Street in Four Mile, at the Port Douglas Sailing School (at the end of Seabrook Avenue), at the Surf Lifesaving Club, or at the Marina Mirage. A volunteer coordinator will provide you with bags, gloves, and a liability release form. All volunteers will be given a free lunch at the LIPS sausage sizzle at the Community Hall after the cleanup.

Educational Fair, Underwater Photography Exhibit, and Workshops Saturday 11 AM - 6 PM, Port Douglas Community Hall Saturday will see the Community Hall alive with interactive booths and workshops for all ages. Visit the underwater photography exhibit, then speak to a diver via live video link to the Townsville Aquarium, learn coral reef monitoring techniques, or how to green your life. Stay for lunch and dinner at the LIPS sausage sizzle, and stick around for the Futures Forum in the evening!

Futures Forum – “Climate change – where will we be in 50 years?” Saturday 6:30-8:00 PM, Port Douglas Community Hall Join us for a keynote presentation by John Connor, CEO of the Climate Institute, followed by a panel discussion on the future of our Great Barrier Reef featuring well known reef scientists. This is your chance to ask the experts what can really be done to protect this invaluable resource. After the forum, stick around for the late showing of the Underwater Film Festival at the Clink Theatre.

Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe added 2008-09-16