The Ocean is for Everyone Every good story is fuelled by tension – a sense of jeopardy, something big at stake.
I’m forced to confront this dynamic every day.
But so are you. Because at this moment in history, we all find ourselves living and creating the same shared story, a global tale drenched in jeopardy. And you know exactly why: the life of our oceans – indeed all life on earth – is in danger.
We’re in a fight for Life itself, and our planet needs comrades and warriors.
Tolstoy declared that the two strongest warriors of all are Time and Patience. But those words were written over two centuries ago. Things have changed so much and so quickly since then. Science has shown that Patience is no longer sufficient. And that Time is not on our side.
As the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s patron, and one of its longest- standing donors, I’m asking for your help. I’m inviting you to be a warrior for life. Because when you defend our seas, you fight for life on Earth. It’s that straightforward. And it’s that urgent.
Without our oceans, we have nothing.
Tim Winton. Vee, Blue Media Exmouth
There’s no greater threat to life on this planet than global heating. And the greatest driver of this lethal force is the fossil fuel industry working around the clock to drill, dig and destroy our ocean habitats for profit.
I’m at the stage of life when I think about legacy. And I don’t think I’m alone in this. There’s nothing like age and a growing sense of jeopardy to clarify the mind, to remind us of what matters most.
I want to know I did everything in my power – in life and afterwards – to defend what’s most precious. And I suspect you do too.
Which is why I’m inviting you to consider an Ocean Legacy.
When the ocean needs help, your efforts can save her. Now. And after you’re gone. You can keep up the fight by leaving a gift in your Will to the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
Writing a Will is a confronting task. Believe me, I know. It’s a job that forces you to take stock of who you are, what you believe in, what you really hope for.
It’s a distillation of your values, a declaration of what you really stand for. And whether you’re a writer, a plumber, or an accountant, it’s your chance to write your chapter of the future, the story we each leave to those who come after us.
A human life is finite. That’s the tough lesson we each come to learn. But our values don’t evaporate when we die. The things we invested the most love and concern in continue after we’re gone.
That’s the power of legacy. The best of us keeps fighting, creating and contributing after our deaths. Knowing this can be deeply empowering. It’s a kind of solace. But it can be a source of pride, too.
Right now, we need that solace. And we’re desperate for reasons to feel proud. Because our world is in trouble. And if we don’t act to rescue it, those who come after us will never see the wonders we knew.
Like you, I love the oceans. I feel a huge sense of gratitude to the sea. But also, a sense of obligation.
Because you can’t love something and just leave it to die.
And remember, when the oceans die, all human prospects die with them. That’s something I’ve come to understand more acutely with every passing year.
In my lifetime, vast tracts of our oceans have been devastated by industrial fishing, deep sea mining, gas prospecting, trawling and dumping. Our seas have heated up and become ever more acidic, and I know that without urgent action to turn things around, the world’s corals will disappear.
Urgent action requires solid backing. The ocean needs committed defenders as never before. So if you love the oceans, the best way to put that devotion into action is through the work of the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
There’s no organisation I trust more to do what needs to be done; no other community group has a track record to match. Over decades now, I’ve seen their mighty contribution to creating marine parks and sanctuaries, their campaigns to save vulnerable species and ecosystems, their contribution to new research and cultural change, their public advocacy to hold politicians and corporate interests accountable. I’m very proud to be associated with AMCS, and I’m committed to helping sustain their efforts well into the future.
By leaving a gift in your Will to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, your Ocean Legacy will help keep that work alive for years to come.
Our world is burning. Our seas are in desperate trouble. Every school kid knows we can’t continue down this path. Most of our elected representatives know it too. But they lack the will to resist those who profit in the short-term.
We need voices to defend life against this kind of selfish nihilism. AMCS can amplify your voice and put your fighting impulse into action – now, and after you’re gone.
Paul Gamblin and Tim Winton. Nush Freedman Photography
When I think of my own legacy, I go back to the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of my life heroes. Not long before the Nazis murdered him, Bonhoeffer wrote that “the ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children”.
This is a good time to reflect on those words. Because what we do now, or fail to do now, has a direct impact on those who come after us. We are defined by the choices we make.
I’m enormously heartened by the passion and creativity of young people. Their energy and hope are what keep me going. But I’m shamed by the way they are being forsaken by those who are making decisions on their behalf right now. They are growing up in a plundered world whose resources and wealth will not be available to them unless you and I do something to turn things around.
There’s a generational divide opening, and the gap is about power and money. I think we need to reflect on the power and the resources we have that they don’t. That’s uncomfortable, but when you’re thinking about legacy, it’s non-negotiable.
We need to arm young people with hope and the resources to realise that hope. I think AMCS is a vessel for that kind of empowerment. Because the oceans are always going to need defenders.
They will need you, and the Ocean Legacy you leave.
Jeopardy is palpable. Our common story feels unbearably tense. Because we’re on the brink and the hour is late. But it’s not too late to act.
We’re in a fight for Life itself. We need to arm ourselves and every defender of our life-giving oceans. Now and in the future.
And I hope you’ll join me in doing everything you can to support those fighting the good fight for life on Earth.
Please join me.
Tim Winton
Patron
Australian Marine Conservation Society