Students take up a wildlife cause

By Ed Merrison
HEALESVILLE Primary School last week launched a baton relay that aims to link together all kinds of community organisations, businesses and wildlife groups in a bid to save the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo.
Despite heavy rain, around 25 Grade 3 students from the school took the Torch of Concern from the school to the Save Wildlife Centre on Monday, 31 July.
Grade 3 teacher Rosie House said the children were very excited to kick off the Linking of Many Hands project, brainchild of The Judith Eardley Save Wildlife Association (JESWA).
“What they’re doing (at JESWA) is fantastic, and it’s good to support local things,” she said.
“We thought this was a good cause. The kids love anything to do with animals and they just really want to help.”
The journey of the torch is accompanied by creative fundraising ventures, with Healesville Primary School opting for a coin line, which was gradually creeping along as extra donations were made up to Friday, 4 August.
“The kids and the school community are adding to the line and we’re going to see how long we can make it,” Ms House said.
The school also plans to turn one of its classrooms into a haunted house, charging entry to those brave enough to enter and passing the funds on to the JESWA cause.
The launch of the torch relay at a Monday morning assembly was attended by JESWA’s Peter Hannaford and a pair of volunteers in Red-tailed Black Cockatoo costumes.
The species was used to raise awareness of various human causes when it featured as the mascot of this year’s Commonwealth Games as Karak.
But Mr Hannaford said little has been done to save the species itself, of which only around 1000 birds survive.
By connecting various groups with the Torch of Concern and encouraging fundraising, JESWA hopes to raise money to purchase vital reserves in Victoria’s Western District around Casterton where the species survives.
The torch will eventually head to Casterton after a tour of the Upper Yarra and outer Melbourne, via the Trust for Nature offices in Melbourne.
The whole trip is expected to take well over a year.
Mr Hannaford already has 20 hosts lined up to carry the baton, and hopes in the ensuing weeks to enlist the help of hundreds of more schools, businesses, clubs and landcare and wildlife groups in the area and further down towards Melbourne.
Mr Hannaford said every dollar that goes into JESWA’s Help Save the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo account will go directly towards purchasing the reserves, and the organisation will match donations dollar for dollar up to a total of $200,000.
He said that JESWA will buy at least one reserve regardless of the outcome of the initiative, but said a successful campaign could enable the purchase of another one or two reserves.
“It’s basically a linking together of hands with a lot of people doing a bit to add up to something considerable in the end.
“In a sense we’re all responsible for safeguarding the natural world, and we feel this gives people who wish to participate a chance to contribute,” he said.