Nationals Member for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker is encouraging local students to enter a newly announced competition to name the nation’s new icebreaker vessel, with the winning entry receiving a trip to Antarctica.
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“Winning a competition like this would be an unforgettable experience for a group of students and I’m sure we’d all love local students to win it,” Mr Hartsuyker said.
“Up to 12 students and 4 teachers will fly to Antarctica for a day, becoming the first children to set foot on the icy continent as part of the Australian Antarctic Program. The winning students will fly from Hobart to Australia’s Wilkins Aerodrome where they will meet Antarctic scientists, as well as expeditioners living and working at nearby Casey research station.
“The competition is open to Australian students from year 5 to year 8. Entries will only be accepted from school classes, who able to enter their suggested name in a written or video format.
“The competition will give local students the opportunity to name the sophisticated new Antarctic resupply and research vessel which will shape the future of Australia’s Antarctic Program.
“Entries in the ‘Name our Icebreaker’ competition will be judged by a panel of Antarctic experts on criteria including originality, creativity, sincerity, appropriateness and alignment with the values, objectives and activities of the Australian Antarctic Program.
“The competition closes on Friday 9 June. The winning entry will be publicly announced in September 2017, with the prize flight taking place in November 2017.
“The Federal Government has committed to a $1.9 billion package under the Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan to cover the design, build and 30 year operational and maintenance lifespan of the icebreaker, representing the single biggest investment in the history of Australia’s Antarctic program.
“The icebreaker will be more than 156 metres long and accommodate 116 expeditioners. It will be equipped with an array of cutting-edge scientific equipment including a moon pool, multi-beam bathymetric echo sounders, hydrophones and underwater cameras.
“And for all of our great local teachers, seven new curriculum-aligned modules about the icebreaker have also been developed on the Australian Antarctic Division’s website, ‘Classroom Antarctica’, ready to use in North Coast classrooms” Mr Hartsuyker said.
More information for the name the icebreaker competition via https://classroom.antarctica.gov.au/icebreaker
