Teen warrior's mission
LOVE FOR the environment prompted an adventurous 19-year-old to leave his family for six months and sail around the world spreading the message: Save the Earth!
Abri le Roux, whose golden hair has not been cut since April, arrived in Hong Kong this month aboard Greenpeace's flagship Rainbow Warrior for a promotional campaign.
The South African is the youngest of 14 crew members on the ship.
He joined the crew six months ago in South Korea where he and his family have lived for five years.
He is the radio operator on the ship and is responsible for all electronic communication.
'I learned about Greenpeace by chance when the boat visited Seoul in April,' said Abri. 'My friend asked me to visit the boat. I was fascinated by it immediately.'
Abri chased the ship on land and travelled to four cities in South Korea to get on board again and again.
He started as an ordinary visitor, then became a volunteer on the ship and finally decided to sail away with the Warrior.
'I love the earth. It is natural that we should love and protect it. I don't think I am particularly brave [to join the crew]. I just wanted to do it,' he said.
Abri was being home-schooled in South Korea so it wasn't difficult for him to take a break and sail away.
'My family supports me. They are very concerned about the environment and I guess my father would have liked to join the boat himself if he did not need to work,' he said.
Before Hong Kong, Abri travelled to South Korea, New Zealand and a small Pacific island.
He joined the action in the waters near Australia, targeting bottom trawling - a method of fishing condemned by environmental groups because it kills a lot of marine animals unnecessarily.
The Rainbow Warrior chased the errant fishing boats and the crew used video cameras to record the crime.
'I know some people think that Greenpeace is radical but in fact we have never used any violence or damaged any equipment. All we do is draw people's attention to the seriousness of the problems,' Abri said.
Most volunteers only serve three months on the boat but Abri is an exceptional case. He will soon return to South Korea to join his family. He plans to take some courses to boost his knowledge about operating ship radios.
'I will definitely come back [to Rainbow Warrior] again,' he said.
You can see Abri's workplace for yourself when Rainbow Warrior opens to the public at Central Pier Number Two on Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Those interested in becoming Greenpeace volunteers, on board or at a local branch, can e-mail greenpeace.china@ hk.greenpeace.org or call 2854 8300.
