Ben Brauer, international business strategist and head of non-profit organisation New Beginnings International, is undertaking a reef protection initiative in the Whitsundays together with a number of post-grad university students.
The University Marine Science Volunteers for the Reef Preservation Project are Kimberly Wong, a postgrad of Griffith University, and Stephanie Cornish, an undergraduate at James Cook University, in Townsville.
After initial project briefings, at Coral Sea Marina, the trio got underway on their project vessel – a 74ft Beneteau Oceanis – on November 14, to conduct a series of coral surveys in several target sites in the Whitsunday Islands, over two weeks.
Ben, who fell in love with marine conservation at just five years old, has had a long-term interest in the Whitsundays.
His organisation previously participated in the Whitsundays Cleanup Flotilla, in 2020 – in collaboration with Ocean Crusaders, QSail, Sunsail, Whitsunday Rent-a-Yacht and Whitsunday Getaways – conducting beach clean-ups in various locations in the Whitsunday Islands.
This new project is part of the government’s Citizen Science initiative and intends to focus on developing ongoing strategies leading to the protection of the Whitsundays reef environment, which is so important to the local tourism industry.
New Beginnings, which is a GBRMPA approved Reef Guardian School, has also offered to make their highly acclaimed Youth Marine Conservation Program available to schools in the region, as part of the project.
Local interested tourism and marine organisations are invited to collaborate in the important Citizen Science project, conducted as part of the Australian Government’s Citizen Science initiative.
New Beginnings is a charity, started by Ben 25 years ago, to help vulnerable kids stay out of trouble and avoid the downward spiral of youth crime and vandalism.
The early age prevention and intervention program, which is run as a social enterprise, has been very successful, surviving largely on grants.
It now operates in the main centres all along the Queensland coast and is aimed at children aged 10 to 14 years old.
“Most other programs are for older children, teenagers, who have already been in trouble with the law and it’s too late” Ben said.
“Our program targets kids before they go off the rails. We reach them before they go to high school.
“We have had many successes, with kids going on to become school captains and get good jobs.”
Ben started the charity after his youngest son nearly died, after being given marijuana that had been spiked, leading to brain injury.
“My 17-year-old son spent a month in hospital including a week in intensive care,” Ben said.
“He literally collapsed on the roadside and, if a doctor hadn’t been passing, he would have died – his heart stopped due to the drugs.
“I managed his recovery for 11 years and he is now 95 per cent recovered and has obtained a diploma.
“I began to see the problems [facing young people].
“I sat in on a workshop on the Gold Coast and, in the end, after one year of listening, I said ‘let’s do something’ and I founded the New Beginnings charity.
“It’s been an incredible journey. Thanks to my management experience and a few one-off grants, we have continued for 25 years.
“It’s been very rewarding.”
Interested parties can contact New Beginnings International at nb_admin@icloud.com
or visit the website: http://www.newbeginnings.net.au/.
