Dr Ian Poiner, Chairman of the Reef Authority Board and Maramee Close, the Reef Authority’s Project Officer for Reef and Islands, was invited by the Burnett Mary Regional Group to join celebrations to commemorate K’gari’s thirty years of World Heritage status.

With deep connections to Country through her mother’s side as a Badtjala woman, Maramee was honoured to be invited to the ceremony. With a grateful heart she explained, “I was incredibly moved to be the first in my immediate family to step foot on K’gari, I also recognise the significance of being invited alongside Dr Ian Poiner who is The Man that fulla.”

Minister for the Environment Megan Scanlon also attended the celebration and marked history by handing back an additional 670m2 of K’gari land.