Koala Hospital, Port Macquarie and Living with Koalas
KOALA POLITIKS
LIVING WITH KOALAS and the KOALA HOSPITAL, PORT MACQUARIE reply sent to the EDITOR
It was extraordinary to see a Public Notice ad (paid for?) in the Camden Haven Courier (Dec 13th 2017) from the Koala Hospital proclaiming that they had no association with me (G Henshaw) founder of LIVING with KOALAS. I am assuming that only the staff of the Hospital and misinformed volunteers needed to clarify that. Since the launch of the LIVING with KOALAS initiative on World Threatened Species Day (7th September 2017) I have had meetings and correspondence with the Port Macquarie Mayor, councillors, state and federal politicians, local media, businesses, school principals and hundreds of concerned individuals who are all very clear that LIVING with KOALAS is not part of the Koala Hospital. I am so supportive of the great work the Hospital does and we may indeed raise funds to donate to their charity. We particularly promote the fantastic work of Landcare and guide people to their websites if anyone wants to make a charitable donation. LIVING with KOALAS is not a charity or a Government Organisation. We are a social enterprise. We are utilising business, marketing and creative skills to raise awareness and money to help with the plight of koalas in the wild. And, as I now live in the Camden Haven, we are focussing at launch (with a planned national roll out) on the plight of the the local Port Macquarie/Hastings koala population now thought by the Koala Hospital and Council to be few as 2,000, with the real threat of extinction within 25 years. Clearly more voices are needed for this vulnerable species. Full details of our work can be found on www.lwk.net.au
G Henshaw
Lake Cathie
*In an interview with Cheyne Flanagan in Focus Magazine, Port Macquarie Sep 2016 edition and later repeated in the Koala Hospital publication Gum Tips she said:
“When G approached me with the concept, I thought it was a great idea and loved the writing and illustrations he was proposing. The only stipulation I made was the facts had to be accurate. It’s great to have an accurate informative book about koalas… although written with humour, it highlights the real dangers facing this sadly threatened species. Raising awareness of the plight of koalas can only be … a Good Thing.”
[Cheyne Flanagan and other members of the Koala Hospital read through the first draft of The Good Thing About… Koalas and suggested some minor corrections. The book was also read by a number of Zoo keepers and university students studying koalas. All factual information about Koalas – K Facts – was taken from the websites and books of reputable organisations and authors.
FURTHER POSTS click this link KOALA POLITIKS we will be using this space to comment on other reported koala politikal activities including a visit and request to Bookface in Port Macquarie not to stock The Good Thing About… Koalas book; telephone call to Dr David Gillespie’s office; plus a few affidavits… human action, never surprising, often disappointing.
Living with Koalas – a Social Enterprise
Using the power of the marketplace to solve the most pressing societal problems, social enterprises are commercially viable businesses existing to benefit the public and the community, rather than shareholders and owners.
….we define social enterprise as organisations that: Are driven by a public or community cause, be it social, environmental, [conservation], cultural or economic
Derive most of their income from trade, not donations or grants
Use the majority (at least 50%) of their profits to work towards their social mission
