Cheque this out: Bob Macafee hands over his $3000 check to Humish the koala and Tehree Gordon.
ERIN PEARSON
DONORS are helping rebuild a shattered wildlife sanctuary’s koala hospital after fire gutted the facility two weeks ago.
Point Lonsdale’s Bob Macafee said the plight of Jirrahlinga Koala and Wildlife Sanctuary touched him so deeply he handed over $3000 this week.
The fire killed six animals in the region’s only koala hospital.
Mr Macafee said he hoped his donation would encourage further support.
Sanctuary owner Tehree Gordon, a Senior Australian of the Year, deserved the community’s support, he said.
“She donates tireless hours to save so many animals, he said.
“I’ve been out there and looked at her cause. You can’t but want to lend a hand.”
Mr Macafee, whose nine grandchildren visit the Barwon Heads sanctuary regularly, said volunteers were working tirelessly to clean up after the fire.
“Anybody who can help, even the smallest help, is really needed.”
Mrs Gordon said the blaze, which investigators have blamed on an electrical fault, had broken the hearts of the volunteers who helped run the not-for-profit sanctuary.
She was still adding up the cost of the fire but estimated rebuilding and refurbishment would run into tens of thousands of dollars.
Replacing the hospital’s medical equipment alone would cost $15,000, Mrs Gordon said.
“We’re still coming to terms with the whole thing, which is really difficult but the community support has been a great help.”
Mrs Gordon said she never expected to watch her koala hospital go up in flames 52 years after attending her first fire rescue in South Australia.
“This place is everything to us. Where do you start?”
