August 6, 2021
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Koala-ty act beats record Volunteers are planning to plant 800 koala-friendly trees at Batesford just a week after their biggest plant day yet at Little River. The Koala Clancy Foundation and 32 volunteers planted nearly 1500 trees last weekend, bringing their total so far this year to almost 11,000. “We have passed the halfway mark of our big target for 20,000 trees around the greater Geelong area in 2021,” foundation president Janine Duffy said. Koala Clancy Foundation had actually hoped to reach that target early this month, until Victoria’s most recent lockdowns hit, Janine revealed. “It’s set us back by 5000 trees,” she said. The foundation has planted 31,000 trees since 2016 with the help of volunteers like Williamstown’s Liz Hope, pictured, in its bid to restore habitat for our nation’s most-beloved marsupial. Liz has planted about 400 trees in her two years with the group. “We’re running tree-planting planting days around the Geelong area every weekend until mid-September – COVID-dependent,” Janine said. Details: koalaclancyfoundation.org.au Liz Hope and Janine Duffy at Little River. (Louisa Jones) 246007_07
Skydiving survivor walks By Luke Voogt The survivor of a freak skydiving accident in Torquay has taken his first steps just days after the terrifying fall. “Another miracle happened today,” Berni Rantall posted on social media about her husband Christopher on Monday. “My husband walked five metres with a frame. How amazing is he, four days after falling from the sky? “[He] still has a long way to go but we are so proud of him.”
Both police and Ms Rantall hailed the skydiving instructor who tandem-jumped with Mr Rantall, Arron Toepfer, as a hero at the weekend following the accident last Friday. “Once the parachute didn’t open, there were emergency attempts made to open up the chute and unfortunately, couldn’t open the chute,” Torquay Sergeant Peter Christo told the media. “As a result of that, we have a deceased male. I believe the instructor may have cushioned a lot of the blow for the client.” The 35-year-old died in the fall, while Mr Rantall suffered a dislocated hip, bleeding to
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his spleen and left kidney and several broken bones, according to his wife. Mr Toepfer, who hails from Mildura, completed more than 5000 jumps in his career, according to the Australian Parachute Federation. “We’re thinking and praying for the instructor’s family at this sad time,” Ms Rantall posted on Saturday. “He was a true hero and such a brave young man.” An ambulance helicopter flew Mr Rantall to the Alfred Hospital in a critical condition,
which has since improved to stable. The Warrnambool man underwent surgery on Saturday, before taking his first steps on Monday. “It is nothing short of a true miracle that you are still here with us after surviving such a horrific accident,” Ms Rantall said. “You are so strong and a real fighter and that’s what’s going to get you through this.” The Civil Aviation Safety Authority and police continued their investigation into the incident this week, with the assistance of the Australian Parachute Federation.