THE SEA AND AUSTRALIA - EDUCATIONAL VIDEO

An informative and educational series dealing with the importance of the sea to Australia. Six self-contained episodes look at the exploration and early settlement of Australia by Europeans;

• the nature and resources of the sea and its influence on our way of life;
• our ports and the importance of our shipping industry;
• safety at sea and the development of modem charts and navigation;
• the need for balanced conservation and control of the sea, covering pollution, quarantine, smuggling, illegal immigration and defence.

People who live in an island continent can enrich their lives, and be in a position to contribute more as citizens, by acquiring a basic understanding of the true frontier of their nation - the sea which surrounds it. For most Australians its influence is ever present.

We are a great seatrading nation; our people are significantly affected by the sea; the sea is a great source of food and minerals and a playground for millions; and all who come to Australia for whatever purpose, good or ill, must pass over, on or (sometimes) under the sea.

Although more than 70% of our population lives within 20 kilometres of the sea, today's school children, and many of our adults, whilst enjoying the exciting recreational pleasures which the sea provides, are often largely unaware of its great importance to their everyday lives, to the economic well-being of their nation, and to their security.

The League perceived that there was a gap in the educational curriculum of most schools in that there was no readily available collection of material which was capable of providing information about these various matters in an easily understandable and stimulating way. It was to fill this gap that the video project was conceived.

The video, with the endorsement of the NSW Department of School Education, has already been made available to all secondary schools in Australia, and to many primary schools as well as a number of Australian libraries. It is now available to the public, in the hope that it wi ill provide not only a useful introduction to the world of the sea, but also to make viewers more aware of the importance of the sea to them and to Australia, and to stimulate an interest in obtaining further knowledge and understanding of that importance. Although originally intended as general knowledge educational material for students at secondary level, the coverage given to the various topics has proved to be of interest to school children of all ages, and to adults as well.

The video has a total running time of nearly 2½ hours and consists of 6 self-contained episodes, contents of which are as follows:

INTRODUCTION

The voyage of the First Fleet and a short maritime heritage tour of Sydney Cove and Port Jackson.

1. Exploration and Early Settlement by Europeans: The rapid growth in technology and exploration in the 15th Century; the discovery of sea routes to the East; Portuguese expansion; the search for Terra Australis; early sightings; Cook's discoveries; the founding of our colony and early settlement by Europeans.
2. The nature of the Sea: The properties of sea water; tides; currents; weather; underwater volcanoes; hurricanes and cyclones; tsunamis; oceanography and hydrography.
3. The Resources of the Sea: Fish and other marine sources of protein food; pearls; seaweed; plankton; aquaculture; oil and gas; salt, minerals; wind and tides.
4. Commercial Shipping, Ports and Facilities: Our economic dependence on sea transport; our shipping industry; our major ports and their facilities.
5. Finding Our Way and Safety at Sea: Early navigation; the development of the modem science of navigation; charts; navigational aids; ships' safety equipment and safety at sea.
6. Protection and Conservation: Protecting our marine heritage; our defence, and the role of the Royal Australian Navy; conserving our maritime resources; control of pollution, quarantine, smuggling and illegal immigration.

Copies of the video can be obtained at the very competitive cost - $25 (including postage anywhere in Australia - overseas extra)
write to:
The Navy League of Australia - NSW Division,
Box 1719, GPO Sydney, NSW, 1043 Australia.
Please include a cheque or postal order with your order.
We regret we do not have credit card handling facilities.