Top honours for devotion to eco-tourism and aviation

HE’S spent decades promoting and advancing the fields of local eco-tourism and aviation, and now Peter Gash has been awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his efforts.

TOP HONOUR: Peter Gash, Managing Director of Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort and Owner/Chief Pilot of sister company Seair Pacific has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the General Division in the annual Australia Day Honors List for his service to eco-tourism and aviation.

HE'S spent decades promoting and advancing the fields of local eco-tourism and aviation, and now Peter Gash has been awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his efforts.

The managing director of Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort and the owner and chief pilot of sister company Seair Pacific, Mr Gash has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the General Division in the annual Australia Day Honours List for his service to eco-tourism and aviation.

"The award came as a great surprise and I feel very humbled by the fact that people have gone to the effort of nominating myself for such an accolade," he said.

"I feel strongly that this award belongs to my family as well as all of our team members, friends and the many fantastic and passionate supporters of the work we do with Lady Elliot Island in the eco-tourism, environmental conservation, reef education and renewable energy space.

"To have been awarded this accolade in the two areas of 'eco-tourism' and 'aviation' speaks volumes for the fact that these areas can be mutually supportive and beneficial for the advancement of education and environmental stewardship without detracting from each other."

Mr Gash said this indicated a remarkable approach by the Australia Day Awards Committee to the challenges the planet faces in the future.

Mr Gash has been described as having an infectious energy and passion in everything he does and is a fierce ambassador, not only for Lady Elliot Island and the Great Barrier Reef but also for tourism and aviation throughout Queensland and Australia.

He has over 30 years' experience in tourism and aviation in Australia.

In 1985 Mr Gash obtained his Commercial Pilots License and by 1990 had secured the business Seair Pacific on the Gold Coast with Peter acting as owner-operator and chief pilot ever since.

Seair Pacific was the first operator to conduct day tours to the Southern Great Barrier Reef from the Gold Coast and Brisbane by air.

Mr Gash initially flew tourists to Lady Musgrave Island by seaplane and in the mid 90s he took the floats off and provided charter flights to Lady Elliot Island.

In 2005, Mr Gash, his family and two business partners took over the lease to Lady Elliot Island and has been operating the 43-roon resort since that time setting benchmarks in sustainable tourism initiatives and operations.

Mr Gash has created a delicate balance of showcasing the Southern Great Barrier Reef to tens of thousands of visitors each year while operating a sustainable operation that delivers a positive economic outcome for the industry.