“Best week ever” were the words Toolooa State High School year 10 student Matilda Heier used to describe her recent work experience placement at Aquaculture Gladstone.
The self-confessed fishing fanatic signed up for work experience at Aquaculture Gladstone after she visited the GAWB stall at Ecofest in June.
For Matilda, who hopes to one day be a vet or environmental engineer, the highlight of her work experience placement was feeding the fish and counting the mullet fingerlings under the watchful eye of the Hatchery Technicians.
As the facility’s first ever female work experience student, Matilda’s message to other young women who want to explore a career in aquaculture or science is: “don’t be scared to give it a go”.
Matilda’s positive attitude, enthusiasm for all things aquaculture, and interest in science left a positive impression, with the entire Aquaculture Gladstone team enjoying the opportunity to share their knowledge and answer her questions.
Reflecting on her week-long experience, Matilda was amazed by the state-of-the-art hatchery and believes the interpretive display is an amazing place for the community to visit and learn about Barramundi behaviour.
Matilda is the 10th high school work experience student to participate in the Aquaculture Gladstone Career Pathways program since it launched in 2023.
