By TANIA PHILLIPS
AN afternoon surf turned into an environmental rescue for a group of Pottsville-based Kingscliff High Students last week.
Teens Hughie Reynolds, 13, Corbin Turrell, 14, and Jaxon Stewart, 15, had just gone down to the beach at Pottsville to check the surf to see if it was good.
“We saw a bird on the sand and patted it and then we saw Bruce who was rescuing birds from the water,” Hughie said.
Local retiree Bruce Brown had also gone down to the beach that afternoon and was confronted by the sight of a large number of birds struggling on the beach and in the water. He rushed home to get some towels and was back bringing them in when the boys hit the beach around 4.30pm.
The birds, Wedgetail Shearwaters (they looked them up on their phones to find out more), had been knocked off course and were left exhausted and struggling after migrating north from Tasmania.
“We had heard about them but never actually seen them – but we have gotten to know a bit about them now,” the boys said.
Hughie approached Mr Brown and asked if they could help the fatigued birds and for the next three hours the trio, assisted by passers-by who would stop to rescue a bird or two during their afternoon walks, they saved 70 and rescued another 40 who were left to recover on the sand dunes.
“We went down and asked if he needed help and we just started doing it,” Hughie said.
“There were a fair few on the sand and some in the water – the water was only knee deep but they were getting hit by the waves and drowning.
“We took them and wrapped them in towels and blankets to keep them warm and calm them down.”
The boys said the birds were spread along the beach from the rock wall at main beach at Pottsville down towards the third track.
The trio – who admitted never having done anything like this before – were awarded a Principal’s Award by the school after Mr Brown rang acting principal Robyn Ludeke to tell her of their actions.
