Seasons Kallangur residents became accidental superstars last week when a visit from Wildlife Rescue Queensland and their orphaned possum babies caught the interest of national media.
Over the past six months, a number of Kallangur residents have been busy crocheting, knitting and sewing pouches and liners to donate to the group to help keep their baby rescue animals warm.
With more than 50 pouches ready to pick up, Wildlife Rescue Queensland volunteers popped into the community and brought some baby possums with them to meet the residents and say thank you.
Wildlife Rescue Queensland rescues, treats, rears, rehabilitates and releases native wildlife. This includes across Bribie Island and around the Caboolture, Morayfield, Narangba and Redcliffe areas. They also raise public awareness of issues relating to native wildlife.
The knitted and crocheted pouches lovingly created by the residents act as a mother’s pouch to keep the orphaned animals warm and cosy. The flannelette liners are especially important for very young animals that don’t yet have their fur.
Wildlife Rescue Queensland volunteer Katrina Gilligan said that the donated pouches are a great help for their volunteer-run organisation.
“These (pouches) are something we go through as wildlife carers so much. So it does make a difference when they help with something like this,” says Katrina.
“If they hadn’t donated them, then we’d be buying them and as volunteers, there’s so much cost involved.”
Seasons Kallangur’s lifestyle coordinator Kelly Rouse says the residents enjoy helping out the group and love hearing that their work is making a difference.
“To have that final handover, it was just amazing. To see at the end of a project that something is being used, it makes them smile,” says Kelly.
The smiles were spread around the country with Channel 10 sending their camera along to capture the moment. The story appeared on both Ten Eyewitness News in Brisbane and across Australia on The Project. Aged Care websites and local newspapers have also picked up the story.
The Seasons Kallangur residents are continuing to create the pouches and are calling for donations to help their efforts.
The residents are calling for donations of 100% pure wool to make the pouches. Also any old flannelette sheets and polar fleece to make the linings. These can be dropped into Seasons Kallangur’s reception at 1321 Anzac Avenue, Kallangur.
