My name is Cooper, I was named after a little boy who found me on his way to school. My family live in Charleber Lane St Andrews. Mother was hit by a car and is now in heaven. I am the first Kangaroo to be raised at Wildhaven since 7th February. I weigh 1 kg, drink milk and sleep most of the day. We go for walks in the National Park, watch Wallabies, Wombats and at night I live in a shed, it is warm and comfortable. I know what it is like to lose everything and still find love and hope. Happiness is a journey not a destination and together with my new family I am beginning that journey. … Cooper
…and from Stella
Alan and I purchased this beautiful land 12 years ago. I joined the fire brigade 11 years ago to learn how to protect the Wildlife. We had Two hundred thousand litres of water – fire pumps, we considered ourselves well prepared for any fires.
On the 7th February, I was on a fire truck fighting the fires, Alan was home with all our beautiful animals. I watched from afar as fire engulfed our home and destroyed all the little creatures in my care.
My neighbours died too, our world changed for ever. We will never get over it, we have moved on and we will rebuild.
The public response has been wonderful, feeding, clothing and housing us.
Jamie at the St Andrews Stock and feed delivered food the day and night, after the fires to any areas where animal were sighted. We moved back on to the property one week after the fire into a site office, kindly supplied by a local construction contractor.
The trees weree black, land was a white powder, sky a soft grey. My pictures look like I am using black and white not colour. We live in the ashes of our little friends and continue to collect their bodies, most are ash. I touched the skulls and they fall to a soft ash on the earth. Every day we get up at 4am… long before the sun…we talk to the little ones in the earth. It is our time with them. It is the time we are the saddest yet it is a happy time…we are here with them alone, yet not alone. Alan and I feel as if we have been given a second chance at life.
Our world is still black, white, but not grey, a soft blue has appeared in the sky. The land and animals will be back. This is their world.
Miss the most. Waking to the silhouette of the Joey’s and their Mums playing outside the bedroom window. Birds calling, Kooka, Maggie, Cockies. the Koalas, Wombats grunts and the tiny babies running with their mums. Watching the sun rise on the faces of the Kangaroos, their hugs and kisses, they shared the same breath as us, they shared their lives with us.
The morning of the fires Petie (a small Eastern Grey Kangaroo) cleaned my face, kissed my eyes, I can still smell the Eucalyptus and wind in his coat, so clean, fresh so trusting and gentle. I love him so much and he loved me.
We lived in a perfect world -Wildhaven. Here everything was safe.
September 2009
The very first of many new enclosures has been built by Alan; the possum enclosure is next, then the Kangaroos Stables. The Kangaroos Stables is being built on the old house site – it has a solid slab, still usable. (Alan will not be building the stables, it is too big a job for one person.) Since the 7th Feb. we have rescued many injured and orphaned kangaroos, wallabies and wombats, until now we have not had the facilities to care for them ourselves. Recently, however, we picked up little Cooper (an Eastern Grey whose mum had been killed by a car and who weighed in at a massive 1 Kg and was named after the 10-year-old who found him). It was a shock to realise my bottles, teats and pouches were not where I remembered. Sometimes the mind goes back to the past and you see things that no longer exist. Cooper is the first new resident at Wildhaven – and what a joy he is. I want to say thank you for the pouches and blankets given to us over the last 6 month; you probably know that I had given away nearly all that I was given – the carers in the non- burnt area needed them to care for the injured and orphaned brought to them from St Andrews. We gave everything to the Hepburn Springs Shelter because, at the time, we did not have a place to keep them clean and dry.
There are now 4 of us living at the shed and we love it. Cooper has a friend, her name is Merlot (everything is sounding like beer and wine). The new (six stables) release shed and shelter should be ready in about four weeks and that will enable us to care for larger kangaroos, wallabies and wombats. The house plans are progressing slowly, but we are very comfortable in our little shed now and we are just ensuring all the animals are looked after first – simply a matter of priorities, really. The scenery here now is a sea of black and green. There is still a large number of pine trees to be felled and either taken by the timber mills for use or pushed into piles for burning. None of the pines will regenerate and we must be very careful when walking or even driving near them. The local Council is working with VicRoads and private contractors in order to work out the best solutions – a number of the pines are on private land and many more are along the roadside.
Cooper and Merlot are fed 5 times a day, they drink Wombaroo Milk Formula and we use a little bottle used by the prem babies in the hospitals. Like little babies, there is lots of washing and cleaning. I really like the laundromat – one stop cleaning. It is only 30 minutes away. Easy.
May 2010
Winter is coming to Wildhaven and, although the shed is warm, we are putting carpet on the floor very soon as the concrete gets cold. The field mice often come in under the gap in the door and this morning Alice also come through the door. Alice has been brought up in the shed, now she comes and goes as she pleases. How special is that? She brings a smile to our faces. Their world is our world and the words on our front gate say ‘Land For Wildlife’ and it truly is.
We have not started on the house yet but the plans have been done, so that is a start. A very nice man called John is going to build it for us. This is not a house just for humans, it is a home for orphans and injured wildlife. We are seriously looking at a stand-alone solar system for the house as the SPAusnet alternative may be in the vicinity of $60,000. They appear intent on making re-connection as difficult as possible. It seems very strange to be talking about a new house. After 15 months or so in our shed and getting the shelters up and running, we have become rather used to the surrounds and the routine. We will not know ourselves in a bigger space.
The house will also be within the 4.5 acre enclosure so the kids will be able to come and go as they please. We will need to ensure the floor is non slippery and we are looking at a product called Regupol, which is used in gymnasiums, sports clubs, etc. It will be an interesting 12 months ahead, thats for sure.
Stella Reid (2010)
2015
Cooper now has his own family. 3 wives that I can see and 3 children. He is now 7 years of age….and still growing. Merlot is not one of his girls. As they were raised together she is like his sister.
