By JESSE GRAHAM
HEALESVILLE tourist icon, Healesville Sanctuary, is celebrating a landmark birthday to coincide with the town’s 150th, with 80 years of history at the well-visited destination.
The Sir Colin MacKenzie Sanctuary opened on 30 May 1934, 13 years after Dr MacKenzie was granted 70 acres of land to study native fauna for medical research.
The venue has grown significantly since that time, and millions of visitors from home and abroad have passed through the gates to see the flocks of native animals in their enclosures.
Healesville Sanctuary director Glen Holland said that many people in Australia and internationally had an emotional connection to the place and the animals.
Mr Holland said this connection became most evident after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, which saw the sanctuary and the town under direct threat, and the first-ever evacuation of the animals.
“Messages of concern flooded in from all over the world – Japan, Sweden … and the United States of America – along with offers of support and donations, which enabled us to provide the very best of veterinary care to the Australian native wildlife affected by the bushfires,” he said.
Continuing with its initial theme of studying native fauna, the sanctuary has a strong focus on conservation and has run breeding programs for endangered species such as the helmeted honeyeater and the Tasmanian devil.
For some, particularly those who work side-by-side with the animals, the residents of the sanctuary are as close as family.
Mr Holland said the birthday was an occasion to celebrate the sanctuary’s journey over the last 80 years and the people who have cared for the animals over that time.
“Our birthday is a chance to thank all staff and volunteers, our fantastic Zoos Victoria and the broader community for their efforts in creating this exceptional place, he said.”
On Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June, anyone turning 80 years old this year, born in 1980 or celebrating their birthday over the weekend will receive free entry to the sanctuary.
Celebrations will also be taking place as part of Reconciliation Week, with boomerang throwing, face-painting, bush tucker and animal encounters.
For more information, visit www.zoo.org.au.
