Peter Gash OAM: Custodian of Curiosity

Not long ago, Lady Elliot Island was basically unrecognisable. In the late 1800s, it was mined for guano used as agricultural fertiliser. The island was stripped bare. This is a story about what happens when one person has a vision and refuses to let hard work, qualifications or accepted definitions of 'possible' get in the way of curiosity. Regenerating the precious coral cay Lady Elliot Island is part of Peter Gash 's legacy. He is the Custodian and Managing Director of Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort and CEO of Seair Pacific Aviation . Peter is a licenced Pilot and has been flying tourists to the Great Barrier Reef for over 35 years. In the mid 90's, Peter took the floats off his seasplane and began flying guests to the coral cay of Lady Elliot Island on the southern end of the reef. In 2005, Peter and his family took over the lease of the island. In 2018, the island was selected as the first site for the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Reef Islands Initiative , a bold program focused on building climate resilience across key reef habitats. In 2020, Peter was the recipient of an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his service to eco-tourism and aviation. Peter talked us through the unexpected interconnections between reef systems and terrestrial ecosystems, the importance of being a ‘doer’ not a gunna, the compromise of flying airplanes, and how he’s embraced his role as an “injection of enthusiasm” for visiting world leaders, decision-makers, business folk and scientists alike – from King Charles to David Attenborough . Send us Fan Mail ... Listen with Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich Sound + Video Engineer: Ben J Alexander Theme song: Shannon Sol Carroll Additional music by Kai Mcgilvray + Ben J Alexander Join the conversation: @Waterpeoplepodcast ... Thanks to our generous sponsors this season: Patagonia Australia Alkaway The Sunglass Fix ... Get monthly musings and behind the scenes content from the podcast by subscribing to our newsletter . You'll get water-centric reading and listening recommendations, questions worth asking, and ways to take action for the wellbeing of Planet Ocean delivered straight to your inbox. You can stream every Waterpeople episode from your desk.

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Peter Gash OAM: Custodian of Curiosity is an episode from Waterpeople Podcast by Lauren L. Hill & Dave Rastovich - surf stories & ocean adventures .

This episode is 60:02 long.

This episode was published on Dec 5, 2025.

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