State Heritage Convention

Ms Alicia Curtis
Young Australian of the Year 2001 award winner

Since a young age, I was taught compassion and respect for the flora and fauna around me. I was taught that our environment and the animals that inhabit it should not be seen or used as a commodity but to have intrinsic value and that compassion must come into the equation.

At 12 years old, I was chosen to represent Australia at the first International Children's Conference on the Environment in Eastbourne, England. Attending were 800, 10 to 12 year old from 90 different countries. I heard presentations from children from all parts of the globe, who were not only sad, but also angry at the destruction to the beautiful habitats surrounding their homes. For once, I was not proud of being an inhabitant of the earth. I was fired up and ready to seek change. What could one 12 year old do to help save her planet? Plenty!

I was one of four Western Australians who travelled to England. When we arrived home in Perth, we along with our mothers met to discuss what happened at this huge gathering we had attended. We felt empowered and excited, and very passionate about our collective goals, the problem we faced was finding an outlet for our enthusiasm. We decided then and there to hold our own conference, to tell the young people of Western Australia what we had heard and bring them the message that they are not alone in their environmental concerns. Most importantly we wanted to give them enthusiasm and optimism about the future as well as practical help in starting their own environmental projects. In my presentation, I will define what Environmental Heritage means to me, the importance of creating young leaders and the rest of my story.