Phillip Island Conservation Society Inc.
Work on paper - Photocopy of newspaper cutting, "PENGU/ CHOK/ IN/ OIL" (meant to be : "Penguins choke in oil"
... Phillip Island Promotion Association... Island Promotion Association (indecipherable) - late/1960s ...
With the establishment of the large heavy industrial zone at Hastings in the late 1960s, which included the BP oil refinery using the Port of Hastings at the north-western arm of Western Port, a number of environmental problems predicted by both scientists and conservationists arose. The main shipping channel on the western arm of Western Port was dredged, causing suspended particles affecting seagrass beds. With inadequate regulation around discharge of bilge water within the bay, and oil spillage, oil pollution affecting both seabirds and coastal areas was not uncommon. This report of 40 penguins actually known to have been killed by an oil spill event was typical of reports at the time. The 2 men quoted – Vernon Johnson and Ken Pound – were well known conservationists. Vernon and his wife Nora owned the Kingston Gardens picnic and zoo business where they cared for many injured wildlife. Ken was a Phillip Island counsellor for a few years, and instrumental in the establishment of the Phillip Island conservation Society. He also contributed various documents and newspaper cuttings to this archive.This article is significant for being a record of an exact number of penguins found dead from oil spill pollution in Western Port. Also as a record of conservationists in the early years of community and environment movements both locally and in Australia. The article further gives evidence of linking tourism with wildlife.Photocopy of newspaper cutting. Black print with very dark black and white photo of Fairy (Little) Penguin. Poor reproduction due to older photocopy machine.(indecipherable) - late/1960s.little penguins, fairy penguins, eudyptula minor, penguin behaviour, phillip island tourist attractions, phillip island conservation society, oil spills, bp refinery hastings, port of hastings, western port, marine pollution, oil tankers, vernon johnson, ken pound, phillip island promotion association