Troy Cassar-Daley Patron - Cape York Turtle Rescue

I am very honoured and proud to hold the position of Patron to Cape York Turtle Rescue located at Camp Chivaree at Mapoon on Cape York Peninsula and to be able to lend my name to such an important undertaking.

When I first heard about the Project and the extent to which ghost nets and feral pigs were endangering the turtle population, I thought the solution seemed simple; get rid of the nets and the pigs. Easy. It wasn't until I visited Camp Chivaree at Janie Creek that I got a true sense of the magnitude of the problem.

Troy entertains at Camp Chivaree Mapoon

Literally hundreds of ghost nets are washing up on kilometre after kilometre of remote coastline. Many of these nets contain the remains of turtles and other marine life. The nets are mostly coming from foreign fishing boats operating both outside Australian waters and illegally inside our borders. Meanwhile the feral pig population seems almost out of control, regularly feasting on freshly laid turtle eggs.

What truly amazed me about the camps is what is being achieved and how it is being done. Tourists working together with rangers from the local Indigenous community are clearing the beaches of ghost nets, protecting freshly laid nests with feral pig exclusion devices and recording vital data to build scientific knowledge and help preserve the nesting turtle population.

Troy Cassar-Daley and Ernie Dingo assist a researcher on Flinders Beach

Camp Chivaree provides a unique opportunity for people to get a hands-on experience in turtle conservation and to work side-by-side with an Indigenous community to help save these amazing marine animals.

Furthermore the project is contributing to the economic and social stability of the local Indigenous community at Mapoon.

I fully endorse the aims of Cape York Turtle Rescue and encourage you all to come to Cape York and be a part of this incredible experience.

Troy Cassar-Daley is a Bundjalung man from the northern rivers region of New South Wales. He is one of Australia's most awarded entertainers. Find out more about Troy Cassar-Daley at his website at www.troycassardaley.com.au