PRESIDENTS REPORT 19th JANUARY 2010
Once again the Christmas season has passed into memories of family, friends, church services, huge meals, cards and presents.
However it’s been a hard time for Koalas – native Animal Trust carer Sue Swain has literally been run of her feet as Medowie carer Helen Mallan was sick with the flu, then away on holidays.
HKPS has taken six koalas from their area into our care. So far they have been seriously ill animals; two car hit victims with broken jaws, blind eye, sore eyes and damaged heads and limbs. Port Stephens Veterinary Hospital Vets Dr Rod Starr and Dr Ross Beatty have done magnificent operations, but after weeks of TLC these animals were unable to be released back to the wild. Another small male from One Mile Beach died from Cryptcocosis (Crypto), while a large male from that area was found blind on the roadside eating grass and bracken fern covered in ticks. He has already been taken for a crypto test.
With three koalas in care over Christmas and lots of visitors, I managed many baked dinners, so handy when I had to rush out to the cages, cot and rehab yard.
Holiday crowds saved themselves lots of sunburn, but had to be reminded by National Parks Wildlife Officers and the local media to respect native fauna.
One young koala Joey was separated from its mother at Middle Rock Caravan Park. The children said they had been patting koalas at Oakvale Farm that day. A lady had it wrapped up in a beach towel for about 4 hours. She complained that the mother koala would not come down to get the crying Joey. “Why would it” said Sue Swain who now has 2 small joeys to feed every 4 hours. There were cars, caravans, tents, bikes, adults and kids, clothes line around the trees. No way could it would have fallen off its mother back as it has a really strong grip on ropes, branches and probably Sue.
Sue McDonnell with Carole Peel’s help managed to obtain a Federal Volunteer Small equipment grant for $3,750 towards education to teach school children and Community Groups about how to protect koalas and their habitat. Vice President Robyn Cragg is already spending this grant along with another generous donation from one of our members on a laptop computer, large screen and multi-media projector. A booklet on Port Stephens koalas for children’s education is a vision of Sue McDonnell’s, who has marvellous ideas of how to go about it.
Media articles in Port Stephens Examiner and Newcastle Herald were a great help in getting our message to the local residents and holiday makers. A request for Volunteers and carers brought some phone calls and hopefully people to help after a training course.
Robyn Cragg and Yvonne Collins came back for a few days to repair one of my koala cages, the Vince Pagett was called in for his expertise and Trevena and I picked up a paintbrush, we haven’t reached the high spots yet. Noel Swain helped secure the rehabilitation yards with PBC pipes to prevent escapes.
Port Stephens Council has donated money for 2 new road signs on Lemon Tree Passage Road to replace aged ones, gunshot holes in one- well! Not everyone likes koalas and make their feeling public.