Scholar Bio
The 2010 Australasian Rolex Scholar
Since a very early age William Arlidge has had an affinity with the ocean. His family would often get him to relate his dream job to friends and, expecting a five year-old boy to have aspirations to become a fireman, or an astronaut, they would laugh in surprise when he would proudly state, “when I grow up, I want to become a marine biologist!”
Will has always been interested in the interactions between animals in nature, and in July 2005, he enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) for a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Marine Biology, with a second major in Ecology and Biodiversity.
After completing his second year of university Will found his true passion for the underwater world; he decided to do his Open Water Diver certification and was instantly addicted. Finding everything about diving enthralling, it allowed him to enter into the environment he had been studying on paper, to gain a first hand account of the ecological interactions his lecturers had excitedly explained to him. Since his first breath taken on a regulator, Will was hooked, and he knew then that diving would play a major role in the rest of his life. After his Open Water certification he instantly signed up to do an Advanced Open Water Diver certification, adamant he hadn’t had enough.
Having finished his Bachelor of Science at the end of 2007, Will went on to begin his Masters of Marine Biology. Focusing on reef-building corals, looking at viral communities associated with corals in relation to environmental impacts. Will was fortunate to undertake his data collection on Palmyra Atoll in the Central Pacific, and Coconut Island, Oahu, Hawai’i.
Following his field research he became a dive club member of the local dive shop, and was offered an internship to complete his Divemaster. The experience he gained via his internship was invaluable, making a number of important contacts and dive buddies along the way. During his internship he also undertook his Enriched Air Nitrox certification, opening the door to technical diving. In the past year he has continued to dive extensively with a number of VUW marine biology students, helping to collect data for multiple PhD and Masters Theses.
Will has orally presented his own Masters work at two scientific conferences; the New Zealand Marine Science Society conference in Auckland, and the Australian Coral Reef Society in Darwin, Australia. Both were amazing experiences that allowed him to network and forge important contacts. Will also volunteers with a program called Educating Kids About Marine Reserves (EMR) through the summer. He finds volunteering extremely rewarding, as he feels education plays a vital role in long-term conservation.
Whether diving in the warm waters of the Poor Knights, or in the near zero visibility of Wellington harbour – Will always try to take something new from every experience.
The more he dives, the more his love for the underwater world continues to grow exponentially, a passion that is inseparable from his want to make a difference in conserving the marine ecosystem. Will feels prepared both in his diving skills and his mental attitude towards tackling the role of becoming the next OWUSS Australasian scholar. Will says, “This is a role I will take on with all the passion, enthusiasm, interest, and drive I hold for the underwater world”.
The 2009 Australasian Rolex Scholar
Matthew Carter, 24 years old from Dunedin, New Zealand has been chosen as the 2009/10 Our World-Underwater Scholarship Australasian Rolex Scholar. Matthew has a First Class Honours degree in Archaeology from the University of Otago, NZ and a Graduate Diploma in Maritime Archaeology from Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
The Selection Panel all feel Matthew has the strength of character and determination to excel in his role representing the Scholarship Society and, as with all Scholars past and present, to continue with a career in or around the marine environment and become a leader in his chosen field.
This is his story:
Growing up on the flat plains on the East Coast of the South Island of New Zealand Matt’s early views of the world were dominated by two opposing forces: to the west, huge snow capped mountains and the east, a cold blue sea that extended all the way to South America. In this imposing landscape he soon developed a deep love and respect for the sea, lakes and waterways cutting through the province.
As a child Matt spent as much time as possible swimming, kayaking and generally exploring his watery back yard. His curiosity was encouraged by his parents who used family holidays as an opportunity to visit beaches and lakes. One such holiday took them to Fiji where he spent an amazing week snorkelling on coral reefs. At 16, his fascination with everything aquatic launched into a full-blown obsession when his biology teacher, also a dive instructor, taught Matt to dive.
His first breaths underwater were an absolute rush, opening up a world he had never imagined, one that has now become an integral part of his life and which he can never imagine giving up.
Just looking was not quite enough, Matt was increasingly intrigued about ‘why, what and how’. What past events acted to shape it and what forces were still at work today? These thoughts took Matt back to the past, especially as it related to peoples’ interactions with the marine environment and how this relationship continues to impact the modern world. His desire to learn and his passion for exploration resulted in a BA at the University of Otago, majoring in Archaeology. As his studies progressed, he became increasingly drawn to the possibilities archaeology offered for investigating the evidence of past human interaction with the marine environment and how this could inform us about the modern day underwater world. Accepted into the Honours programme in the 3rd year and then undertook a dissertation investigating the management of underwater archaeological sites in New Zealand in the 4th, resulted in a First Class Honours degree in Archaeology.
Matt is Gear Officer and Member of the Executive of the University of Otago Dive Club.
In 2007 Matt enrolled in a Graduate Diploma in Maritime Archaeology. However, as no universities in New Zealand can offer this course, Matt studied at Flinders University in Adelaide. This study introduced Matt to the amazing world of underwater archaeology and to the use of different sources of evidence in order to interpret how people interact with the sea. It also included a three week field school, which introduced Matt to the difficulties, and rewards, of undertaking scientific work in an underwater environment. Matt is now an Advanced, Rescue and Dive Master, with the intent to proceed further into the areas of Tec diving and professional dive development.
In 2008 Matt was awarded the University of Otago Postgraduate Scholarship for Masters Research and subsequently enrolled in the Master of Arts Degree in Archaeology. His Masters thesis involves (1) an investigation into the ways in which prehistoric Maori and later European populations interacted with the marine environment of the Otago Harbour and (2) how this interaction has shaped the seascape into what we see today in terms of altered landscapes, reduced marine flora and fauna and polluted waterways. Currently, he is mid-way through his research.
Matt heard about the Our World Underwater Rolex Scholarship through the University and is absolutely thrilled to be the winner of this amazing Scholarship and is looking forward to a year of exploration with fellow divers, scientists and archaeologists.
The 2008 Australasian Rolex Scholar
Steven Lindfield, 23 has been chosen as the Australasian Rolex Scholar for 2008/09.
Steve grew up on the Central Coast of NSW, Australia. Living close to the ocean and estuaries he grew up surfing, fishing and snorkeling as much as he possibly could. Steve was introduced into the world of fish by his father, now a commercial fisherman; going fishing was a regular activity and the family would spend their holidays snorkeling and catching tropical fish for their aquarium.
These previous experiences led Steve to pursue a career in marine science; it was either that or become a commercial fisherman. Steve spent many hours in the water free diving around his local reefs but it wasn’t until the start of his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Newcastle in 2003 that Steve got together a group of friends for their Open Water certification, and soon after they were running the university SCUBA club with Steve as president.
Steve continued his diving qualifications, with Advanced, Rescue and Scientific Diver qualifications in successive years. Currently Steve has logged over 200 dives in a variety of conditions; he has actively helped other university students on their diving projects, and explored many of his local offshore reefs and has been on three diving trips to the Great Barrier Reef. Photography has always been one of his underwater interests and Steve said “SCUBA made it much easier to take good photos”. Steve is also an active member of his local diving club, Terrigal Underwater Group, and is currently helping them to participate in marine science research for the future sinking of a large artificial reef; the HMAS Adelaide.
By the end of 2007, Steve completed his Honours degree. His research involved using baited underwater video cameras to investigate the diversity and abundance of reef fish in the nearby Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park. For this research Steve achieved the highest possible grade (Class 1) and had already co-authored an international scientific paper. Steve also attended two Australian fish biology conferences and last year was awarded Gilbert P. Whitley award for best junior student oral presentation.
Steve is looking forward to finally travelling overseas and experiencing other cultures and the full diversity of marine life. He hopes to use his experiences as a fisherman, scientist and conservationist to provide an unbiased perspective to marine conservation. He hopes to further promote understanding of the marine world for others with the eventual aim of maintaining or enhancing the marine environment for future generations. “It is the ocean and marine life that has given me so much pleasure and I will do my best to protect it for others.
The 2007 Australasian Rolex Scholar
For the past 32 years the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society (OWUSS) has offered scholarships in the USA and more recently Europe.
In April 2006 the Our World – Underwater Scholarship Society with the support of Rolex expanded its outreach to offer an Australasian Scholarship.
The Rolex Scholarships provides a hands-on introduction to the underwater world and other aquatic related endeavours for young people with an interest in underwater related disciplines. This permits career decisions to be based on “hands on” work experiences.
The selected Rolex Scholars are perceived to have the potential to make a significant contribution to the underwater world, even though he or she may not yet have chosen a specific career path. The goal is to foster development of the future leaders of the marine environment. The Society continues to believe that by investing in special young people, by exposing them to a broad array of activities in the underwater community and by giving them opportunities to work with influential people who are leaders in aquatic disciplines, it is investing in the future of our underwater world.
For our first year we had an impressive list of entries. It was a difficult choice getting to the two finalists. For the two finalists we ran a panel interview. There were four panel members, Sue Crowe, Tabata Australia, Peter Fields, diving icon, David Harasti, NSW Fisheries and myself, Jayne Jenkins as the Australasian coordinator. After a tough decision we awarded the first Australasian scholarship to Mathew Kertesz.
Mathew holds a Bachelor of Marine Science majoring in marine biology at Macquarie University in North Ryde, Sydney.
Mathew’s goals as a scientist during the scholarship year; he hopes that he can significantly contribute to our understanding of how marine ecosystems function – the intricacies, the great and the subtle ways that all levels of biodiversity interact to comprise the extraordinary communities that exist in even the simplest of marine environments. His key area of interest is fish and fish communities. An avid snorkeller since the age of five and always fascinated by fish of all shapes and sizes. Throughout his lifetime, fish communities have come to the forefront. The conflict between conservation and the need to sustain the ever-increasing human population and over harvesting has led to the collapse of many coastal fisheries. As a marine scientist, he wishes to contribute to a greater understanding of our marine environment so that fish communities will thrive into the future.
