Tahlia Stolarski. Photo Twitter
TWO years ago Fremantle Surf Life Saving Club parent Tahlia Stolarski scrubbed out the Woodside logo from her daughter’s uniform; now she’s back in a new campaign to push the fossil fuel giant out of Nippers completely.
A petition to remove the Woodside logo from the children’s uniforms altogether was launched at the beginning of the month by the national Free the Nippers campaign over concerns it is “promoting climate change”.
“Since my daughter started in the Nippers, we have had the Woodside logo coloured in with a red paint pen,” Ms Stolarski said.
“At the time, I had been reading a lot about the dire consequences of us using fossil fuels.
“Knowing what I knew, I couldn’t let my child walk around with Woodside on their top, which is being used as a billboard to advertise a company that was denying the scientific consensus, and still investing in fossil fuel projects.”
Ms Stolarski said other Nippers parents took notice of her graffiti, but while many agreed with her sentiment they weren’t willing to take up a pen themselves.
“It is a bit of a contentious issue when you talk about kids and sponsorship, because on one hand, they do need the sponsorships, but I don’t think Surf Life Saving Western Australia necessarily need Woodside for the Nippers,” she said.
“What is sometimes misconstrued, is that these people advocating for the end of fossil fuel sponsorships want all mining companies to not be sponsors, and that is not what we are saying. In this case, it is just fossil fuel companies that are still investing in new fossil fuels.”
Woodside global media manager Christine Forster said: “Woodside values and stands by our longstanding partnerships in the communities where we live and work.
“We have been a beach safety partner of Surf Life Saving Western Australia for more than 10 years, because safety
is important to Woodside and water safety is an important issue for all Western Australians.
“We are helping to train young people to become the lifesavers of the future through our partnership with Nippers.
“The partnership provides significant support to the WA surf clubs and volunteers running the programs through the provision of program safety equipment and resources,” Ms Forster said.