Thank you Australian Geographic!
Can you believe three months have already passed since the end of the crowdfunding campaign??? Where does the time fly? Pun intended!
Since my last update, I was awarded a sponsorship from Australian Geographic for the national flight from Melbourne to Broome planned in 2019! In conjunction with the money raised from the crowdfunding campaign, the sponsorship from Australian Geographic will go a long way in continuing to build momentum for Wing Threads: Flight to the Tundra and should assist with applying for funding elsewhere.
Thank you once again to everyone who donated to the crowdfunding campaign and for your patience while we organised perk production and postage! By now you should have received your goodies in the mail. If not, please let me know asap because I’d hate to think you’re still waiting by your letterbox, peering expectantly down the street for the postman, only to feel your heart sink once again as you recognise that now too familiar forlorn look upon his face that says all he has to deliver again is that same parcel of disappointment he has born every day for the past three months.
Aside from organising perks, I took a much needed rest at the end of the crowdfunding campaign to focus on flying and planning the next stages of the project. Part of this has involved lining up work experience at the Airborne microlight factory and I am very much looking forward to heading over to their Newcastle premises for a couple of weeks in September. A big thanks to Russell Duncan from Airborne for helping to organise this great opportunity!
I have also been continuing to fly solo on weekends when the weather is good and now have 14.5 hours as pilot-in-command. If the weather continues to hold and I manage to competently handle ‘Gordon the incorrigible passenger’ this weekend, I should obtain my passenger endorsement, which is very exciting indeed! Afterwards, my next milestone will be to complete 10 hours of navigation training exercises with Gordon, then pass a theory exam and in-flight navigation test for my cross-country endorsement.
This week I have been thoroughly enjoying the sunshine in Broome and last night presented on Wing Threads: Flight to the Tundra for Roebuck Bay Working Group as part of the Science on the Broome Coast series. I was joined by fellow speaker, Chris Hassell who shared his experiences working with shorebirds in Roebuck Bay and around China’s Yellow Sea for Global Flyway Network. We had a great turn out at Notre Dame University and I would like to thank Kandy Curran for kindly inviting me to speak at the event. I only wish I could stay longer to catch the Mud and Saltwater short film festival happening on Saturday night! Entry is free, so if you’re in Broome this weekend, make sure you head to The Mangrove Hotel for the festival from 5.30-9pm.
Instead of watching evening movies and sunning myself on Cable Beach, I’ll be continuing to do my bit for National Science Week this weekend in Perth! You can catch me speaking about Wing Threads: Flight to the Tundra at Point Walter this Sunday 6th August alongside Dr. Noel Nannup, Mike Bamford and Dr. Kerry Trayler, who will share their knowledge of the Swan Estuary from 9am – 12pm. See the attached flyer for more details.
I’ll finish off by saying thanks to everyone who has sent through words of encouragement and posted photos of themselves wearing ‘Stints are Rad!’ t-shirts on Facebook! Keep them coming! And if you’ve been sad about missing out on a t-shirt or tea towel, stay tuned as there will be an online store coming soon to the website with all of the original perks from the campaign available for sale! Hooray!
