Gawler local Ethan White is encouraging people to get off the couch and explore South Australia
Xavier College co-captain Ethan White is encouraging people to get off the couch and explore South Australia in a time where they’re unable to travel to usual holiday destinations.
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Xavier College co-captain Ethan White is eager to see other young people get ‘off the couch’ and explore South Australia and what it has to offer.
The Gawler local hosts a show on Channel 44 called ‘Off The Couch with Ethan’ and he’s hosted episodes from various different locations around the state.
The inspiration for Ethan started all when he was growing up going on trips with his family.
“I’ve always been passionate about filmmaking and ever since I was a little boy I enjoyed using the family video camera and that stuck with me over time and I grew up making our own little family films,” he said.
“Another passion that arose was when my parents bought a camper trailer and our family would go camping on weekends in school holidays and I loved it and seeing the amazing places SA had to offer.
“Those passions moulded together and I’d make a video of our trip to show to family and friends to fuel the creativity.
“As I was moving up into high school, I was lucky enough to go on a three-month trip with my family up the middle of Australia, so we took a whole term off.
“Then about then, I thought a lot of people my age weren’t as lucky as I was to go out and see the great country we have, or didn’t quite realise the places we have here.”
One random night, Ethan was scrolling through the TV Guide and discovered Channel 44, a station he’d heard of but hadn’t a clue what they did.
“I watched and started to get an idea of what it’s about and thought I could do that myself,” he said.
“I got in contact with them and after a lot of phone calls and meetings, I pitched my idea of a program to encourage young people to get off the couch.
“They were really happy and went off and filmed a pilot episode in the Southern Flinders Ranges as a camping trip and I showed it to them and they loved it.
“It’s a travel show all about encouraging other young people.”
Ethan’s passion for South Australia is displayed in his TV show, and he’s eager to keep young people in the state.
“I think with the current situation with COVID-19, it’s deterring a lot of young people from moving away to another state to study and work,” he said.
“South Australia is really unique and we have a lot of amazing places here, a lot of people might not realise that.
“To explore your own backyard, whether it’s a holiday, a day trip, just to get out and see our state, is really important, especially when we can’t really go anywhere else.
“I think that here in South Australia, we’re in a bit of a pickle where we’re not the biggest city but not the smallest, so we’re in the middle, which sometimes deters a lot of people.
“There’s so many great opportunities that exist here in Adelaide, and if people take those, more will arise.
“For instance, the new developments everywhere, and while they’ll initially look off-putting because they’re a bit of a paddock, if we get people coming here, then we need jobs.
“Almost give it a chance, stay here and we’ve already got so many things.”