Citizenofthe Yearhonoured

Amy Hume

Sue Anderson has made thousands of rescues in more than 20 years as awildlife carer.

Last week the Gisborne resident was honoured for her tireless work as Macedon Ranges’ Citizen of the Year.

No two rescues are the same and being nimble is almost aprerequisite for the job when rescues can involve anything from tree-climbing to venturing into drains.

Sue shows no sign of slowing despite approaching her 70th birthday next year.

“I am called out by Wildlife Victoria on an almost daily basis to rescue injured wildlife,” she said.

“Rescues include those hit by vehicles, attacked by dogs, chased into dams, hung up in fences, caught in fishing line, displaced in suburbia due to housing development, falling down steep pits in construction sites, and birds entangled in rubbish and stuck up trees.”

As afirst responder, it is common for Sue to drop what she is doing in the moment to attend acall-out.

Sue recounted some challenging rescues including cutting ayoung wombat from its dead mother’s pouch at Mount Macedon, rescuing akangaroo from awaterway in Castlemaine following adog attack, and darting an injured roo trapped in adisused Bacchus Marsh aqueduct.

She is well-known to many organisations throughout region and is often called upon by police and emergency services to assist with injured animals.

Sue has also assisted with injured wildlife following natural disasters such as flood and fire over the years.

Her introduction to wildlife rescue and care came when she one day witnessed an injured joey trying to keep up with its mother who was hopping away.

“I threw ablanket over the joey, picked it up and took it to the Gisborne vet. It had a repairable fracture,” she recalled.

“After becoming afoster carer and volunteering at wildlife shelters, Icould see the ongoing need to help, and have been doing so for more than 22 years now.”

Sue said there is aneedfor greater support of volunteer wildlife workers to ensure the baton is passed down for generations to come.

“As one of the rescuers in the Macedon Ranges area, one our mains concerns is the limited number of people that are able to dedicate the time and afford the costs of rescuing and caring for for wildlife,” she said.

“We would really like to see government and financial support to help with own costs, and to hopefully attract more people.”

Sue continues to take on wildlife rescue work in the Macedon Ranges and beyond.

Connecting community

Romsey Ecotherapy Park Committee has been honoured with the Connecting Communities Award in the Macedon Ranges Shire’s Australia Day Awards.

The committee helped foster asense of community by bringing people together during the planning stages of the park.

The project opened officially in October last year, thanks in no small part to the committee’s tireless fund raising efforts spanning 14 years. The park is now aspecial place offering asensory and therapeutic experience where people of all ages and abilities can seek wellness, connection and play.

The project is testament to how asignificant contribution from the community can achieve agreat outcome for the region.

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