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Katie Woolf spoke with Indo Pacific Marine Manager John Ost · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So of course able to send us an email three
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  Speaker 1: sixty at Mix one fort nine.
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  Speaker 2: Dot com dot au.
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  Speaker 1: Now, a couple of people have actually emailed us throughout
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  Speaker 1: the morning today to the three sixty email in box
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  Speaker 1: to let us know about Indo Pacific and I'm just
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  Speaker 1: trying to find the actual email here, but people in
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  Speaker 1: contact saying please have a chat with them with Indo
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  Speaker 1: Pacific Marine because they've had to close. And one email
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  Speaker 1: here that said, Katie, please talk to Indo Pacific Marine.
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  Speaker 1: I'm shattered that it's been shut down. Another bit of
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  Speaker 1: territory history removed. And I'm sure that there are plenty
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  Speaker 1: of you that are feeling the same. Now. Joining us
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  Speaker 1: on the line right now is John Oust, the manager
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  Speaker 1: of Indo Pacific Marine.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you. John. Are you there?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, I am Katie. How are you?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah? Really well, Thank you so much for your time, John,
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  Speaker 1: No trouble now. I've got to say I was pretty
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  Speaker 1: disappointed as well when I saw are the report on
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  Speaker 1: nine News that you had to make that.
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  Speaker 2: Really well, you're in a situation where where it had
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  Speaker 2: to close.
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  Speaker 1: Talk us through where you're at right now. Have you closed?
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  Speaker 2: At this point?
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  Speaker 3: We've had to close the door to the public, because
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  Speaker 3: there's a huge amount of work and decommissioning the whole exhibition.
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  Speaker 3: So it's not just the exhibits, it's all your artwork,
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  Speaker 3: all your information around the walls and everything associated with
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  Speaker 3: the backup and support and everything of that. So it's
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  Speaker 3: a lot of work. And then we have to slowly
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  Speaker 3: pull down the exhibition and returned it all to the
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  Speaker 3: cpiece by piece, So that requires a lot of expertise
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  Speaker 3: and care to ensure that everything is looked outter properly.
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  Speaker 1: And John, why why have you ended up in this
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  Speaker 1: situation for those who who maybe aren't aware what exactly
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  Speaker 1: has gone on that you're in the situation where you've
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  Speaker 1: had to had to decommission and close close the place.
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  Speaker 3: Well, this is the result of not having a lease
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  Speaker 3: because the lease expired and unfortunately they wouldn't renew it
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  Speaker 3: if you haven't got a lease. Well that's it. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: so this is the second time that they forced closure. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: they did it at the old hospital. So with the
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  Speaker 3: rubbish that the that the so called university in those
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  Speaker 3: days wanted the space for the students they have when
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  Speaker 3: we moved out, they never used it, so that was
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  Speaker 3: a lie.
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  Speaker 2: John, how long have you? How long have you had
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  Speaker 2: Indo Pacific Marine?
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  Speaker 3: Helene pretty started this nearly nearly fifty years ago.
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  Speaker 2: Oh wow, went to it.
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  Speaker 3: She wasn't done for tourism, Katie. It was done purely
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  Speaker 3: for the beauty of it and to be able to
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  Speaker 3: show people the world they'll never see. And she was
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  Speaker 3: awarded a Churchill Fellowship for her work. It's won nine
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  Speaker 3: Broad Awards, a National Tourist Award, plus lots of other accolades. Wow,
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  Speaker 3: it's a terrible loss to the people of no one
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  Speaker 3: because when it's gone, it's gone. It's never been done again,
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  Speaker 3: never ever.
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  Speaker 2: John.
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  Speaker 1: How long then have you been managing it?
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  Speaker 2: And what's been like for you? Now? Sorry?
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  Speaker 3: What was that? An amazing experience because you get to
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  Speaker 3: meet all sorts of people from sinus to you cleaners
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  Speaker 3: to bikes to and Buddhist monks and we've had the
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  Speaker 3: whole lot. It is enriching to be able to show
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  Speaker 3: people such a beautiful world because and it's a wonderful
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  Speaker 3: thing for mental health and the amount of handicapped people
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  Speaker 3: we've had through and you can see the effect on
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  Speaker 3: them instantly because this is the world. Then there we're
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  Speaker 3: going to see they're they're going to go diving. Most
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  Speaker 3: people can't go diving, and particularly entire and stabber because
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  Speaker 3: of lots and lots of reasons. Yeah, it's actually a
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  Speaker 3: pretty safe thing to do.
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  Speaker 2: So where to from here, John, is you know is
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  Speaker 2: this is.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah?
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  Speaker 3: Unfortunately, Katie, this is it at the end of the road.
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  Speaker 3: So we've given a lot of people a great deal
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  Speaker 3: of pleasure and enjoyment and education because we don't just
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  Speaker 3: show it. We talk to people and help them think
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  Speaker 3: about things and you know, help them understand why these
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  Speaker 3: things are like that and what you know, how does
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  Speaker 3: the shell get covered? You know, all these sorts of
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  Speaker 3: It's just you've got such a big thing to tap
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  Speaker 3: into all sorts of things, and that's why people like you.
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  Speaker 3: They get a personal experience with Katie. You know.
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  Speaker 1: Oh mate, it sounds like we're losing a real part
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  Speaker 1: of the territory history.
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  Speaker 3: That's that's a fact, you know, because it's been around
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  Speaker 3: a long time and some people came when they were children.
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  Speaker 3: Now they've been their children, you know, So yeah, it
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  Speaker 3: is highly respected and loved. Yes, but this is what's
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  Speaker 3: unfortunately going to happen.
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  Speaker 2: Well, John, I mean, look, I'm not. It's probably a
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  Speaker 2: bittersweet for you.
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  Speaker 1: But we've had a lot of messages come through this week,
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  Speaker 1: a lot of emails in fact, come through throughout the week.
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  Speaker 1: I was a while last week, but I've come through
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  Speaker 1: throughout the week. Are people saying to us, please have
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  Speaker 1: a chat to John, please, you know, talk about the
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  Speaker 1: Indo Pacific marine situation. So you've got a lot of
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  Speaker 1: supporters out there. And as I say, I know it's
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  Speaker 1: a bittersweet for you, I'm sure, given the fact that
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  Speaker 1: you have had to close. But by the sounds of it,
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  Speaker 1: there's a lot of love for you and the amazing
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  Speaker 1: work that you've done.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, it was evident with all the people that
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  Speaker 3: came over the weekend, their responses and how they react,
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  Speaker 3: you know, and they really do. I appreciate what's been
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  Speaker 3: done and done privately you'd any handouts and grants And
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  Speaker 3: one fellow said, oh, he said, the answer is, he said,
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  Speaker 3: put one hundred seahorses in the main tank. He said,
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  Speaker 3: and then you'll get a grand prison, a grand stand.
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  Speaker 2: That's a good one. I was not expecting you to
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  Speaker 2: say that, John, that was a good one.
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  Speaker 3: Mate.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, dear, Well, like I say, I'm you know, I
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  Speaker 1: really feel for you, and I know that there's We've
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  Speaker 1: got a lot of people who've been in contact with
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  Speaker 1: us this week to say how much they love what
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  Speaker 1: you've done. They love Indo Pacific Marine. So, like I said,
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  Speaker 1: I know that that's bittersweet, but I think that it's
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  Speaker 1: important for you to know that there's a lot of
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  Speaker 1: love out there for you in the community.
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  Speaker 3: We might be able to open just one last weekend.
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  Speaker 3: Next weekends we are going with all right divers and
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  Speaker 3: things like that.
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  Speaker 2: Well let us know. Yeah, good on you. Thank you, John.
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  Speaker 1: I really appreciate you having a chat with us this morning,
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  Speaker 1: and thank you for all that you've done over the years.
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  Speaker 3: Well, thank you very much for your support, Cheaty.
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  Speaker 2: No worries. Thanks John,