OzFish celebrates 10 years of habitat restoration
It might have been wet and windy outside, but inside North Burleigh Surf Club, the vibe was unmistakably OzFish—warm, upbeat, and full of fishy love. With beach views through the glass, the dark skies didn’t matter—we were here to celebrate a decade of habitat restoration, and the people who’ve made that happen.
The 10-year anniversary celebration brought together OzFishers from across the country—project partners, chapter executives, volunteers, and staff alike. People travelled from every corner of Australia, and for many, it was the first time meeting ‘in 3D’.
CEO Cass kicked things off with a warm welcome, inviting Uncle John Graham to deliver a vibrant and moving Welcome to Country that reminded us of our shared responsibility to protect country and community.
“We’re all stewards of Country. Every one of us has a role to play in passing on the message and looking after what we’ve got before it’s lost.”
Uncle John Graham, Kombumerri Traditional Owner
From there, we heard from OzFish Chair David Coogan, who shared a few reflections on how far we’ve come—and how much further we can go. And then came the heartstrings: OzFish Founder Craig Copeland took the mic to share a decade’s worth of dreams, doubts, risks and resilience.
But Craig wasn’t out of the spotlight just yet. After the admission of some back-room whispers at the board level, he was awarded an OzFish Life Membership.
A short break for mingling, snacks and reminiscing, and it was time for the self-appointed social committee (read: the comms team) to take the floor.
A physical trivia quiz, where answers were chosen by the tried and tested ‘heads and shoulders, knees and toes’ method had the room in stitches, with Craig heckling from the back blocks. The most hotly contested question of the night?
What’s the term for an unexpected call from Craig?
It’s a Craig-ing—and in typical Craig fashion, he has proudly adopted it into his lexicon. How the tables turn!
Costumes were peer reviewed, with Robbie and his partner Becca walking away with best dressed thanks to their fishy shirts, seagrass headwear and lure earrings. Honourable mentions went to Jeff’s ‘shrimply the best’ prawn socks and Tim’s stylish hand-drawn shirt.
The night wrapped with some heartfelt words from Cass, thanking the people who have poured their energy into OzFish–from volunteers to staff to long-suffering partners–and celebrating the community that makes this wild ride worth it.
“”My vision for the next 10 years continues to evolve but I see us embedding more fully into the fabric of recreational fishing in Australia and seeing restoration on a bigger scale across every state and territory.
CASS PRICE, OzFish CEO
I look forward to continuing to work with the fantastic people that OzFish attracts: our members, staff, volunteers, partners and everyone that lends a hand: they’ve got great hearts and bring so much energy, and it is that which brings OzFish to life.””
In summary of the event, we think Craig said it best:
“I think there are a lot of people even more fired up, and glad to be part of OzFish, if that’s possible!”
Craig Copeland, OzFish Founder
Here’s to 10 more years of making more fish!