Bruny Island cliffs

Community Support

Pennicott Family

Robert Pennicott, his wife Michaye Boulter and their two children Mia and Noah live on Bruny Island. They cherish the community, the environment and the lifestyle of Bruny Island and it is very important to them that the business success is shared with their fellow islanders through employment, purchase of goods and services and the flow on effects that the business provides by drawing people to visit the island. This is true also for the Tasman Peninsula community that Tasman Island Cruises is part of.

A large number of the business employees live on Bruny Island or at Port Arthur, and considerable effort is made to look at these communities as the first and foremost source when employing.

The business prioritises local businesses as their main source of goods and services as well as providing support to the local community by sharing their profits through donation of cash and services, fundraising support and conservation. In recent years this has been as much as 25% of the business profits.

This philosophy led to the business winning the National Sensis Telstra Social Responsibility Award for 2008, Australian First Generation Family Business of the Year 2008, along with the Qantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism at the state level in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

In 2011, Robert Pennicott decided to take his philanthropic efforts to the next level. Leaving Sydney in May 2011, Robert and Operations Manager Mick Souter embarked on an epic journey over 3 months to raise money for conservation and to help Rotary to eradicate Polio from the world. Called Follow the Yellow Boat Road, this project involved driving to dinghy sized rigid inflatable boats around Australia.

This Follow the Yellow Boat Road campaign has raised over $280,000 so far. An added bonus was the achievement of a world record for being the first crew to ever circumnavigate Australia, including Tasmania, in a boat powered by outboard engines.

Pennicott Wilderness Journeys sponsor a number of community groups, organisations and businesses through either cash donations, free cruises or vouchers for fundraising, some of which are as follows:

 

 

Follow the Yellow Boat Road to Bruny Island Cruises