by Renee Wood
The Judith Eardley Save Wildlife Association has welcomed a generous donation of $400 thousand dollars which will go towards expanding the Yellingbo Reserve for helmeted honeyeater habitat.
A Yellingbo resident Susie May Stevens died in 2019 and requested in her will the funds be donated to the wildlife organisation.
Ms Stevens was a regular visitor to the charity’s past second-hand store in Healesville, when it occupied the current site of the Salvation Army store on Maroondah Highway.
Lyn Savill, friend of Ms Stevens, said she would be very pleased and loved animals.
“I think she’d be very happy that you’re doing this for the helmeted honeyeaters because we used to sit down and talk about them,” Ms Savill said.
President Peter Hannaford was sincerely grateful for her contribution and legacy.
“Thinking of Susie May’s bequest reminds me of a quote made over 40 years ago by a politician,” Mr Hannaford said.
“No generation has a Free Hold on this earth, all we have is a life tenancy with a full repairing lease.”
Yellingbo Reserve Director Professor Alan Clayton received the cheque and will coordinate the securing of the habitat rich land for the critically endangered species, extending from the current reserve.
“The record will show that the greatest contribution to the extension of the Yellingbo nature conservation area has been due to the efforts of the Judith Eardley Save Wildlife Association and those who have contributed to it such as Susie May Stevens,” Prof. Clayton said.
A plaque will be installed at the reserve, honouring Ms Stevens for her donation to wildlife.
“She will take her place along with Jeanne Wilcox and others whose efforts will be commemorated and those commemoratives lie in the reserve,” he said.
The wildlife organisation has had a strong presence in the region for decades and has previously supported the reserve through other fund donations.
Every dollar made by the organisation has gone towards supporting endangered species across the globe and Yellingbo Reserve has been of focus for the last two decades.
“Yellingbo is on our doorstep and a lot of local people have helped out and it’s doing a magnificent ongoing job and taking on the difficulties to save wildlife, it’s no easy process,” Mr Hannaford said.
Prof. Clayton said another area purchased by the charity for the reserve has seen the most successful release yet of the Helmeted Honeyeater within it last year.
“The helmeted honeyeater habitat used to be from watts River, North of Healesville down to Bass River in Gippsland and the contraction of that habitat has meant that essentially the only place it is now found is in the wild is at Yellingbo.”
The wildlife charity is still raising funds through a book stall at the Yarra Valley Antique store in Yarra Glen.
