By JESSE GRAHAM
HEALESVILLE’S Judith Eardley Save Wildlife Centre’s owners are mapping out the future of their store, planning to establish a group to keep funding wildlife organisations after their retirement.
The centre’s Peter Hannaford, who has been at the helm of the shop for the last 16 years, with Jeanne Wilcox, said he was looking at banding together passionate environmentalists for the new era of the centre.
This, he said, is the Coalition to Save Wildlife – a group of members who pay an annual fee, and help to direct hundreds of thousands of dollars raised through the shop towards wildlife organisations.
He said the shop had donated more than $3 million to wildlife and environmental groups over the shop’s history, but that he and Ms Wilcox were looking at finishing up in coming years.
“We’re both in our mid-70s, and we’re getting on – we’ve both got health issues, so we can see an end to it,” Mr Hannaford said.
“We’re an endangered species, our shop, in a certain sense – we’re as passionate as we ever were, but we can’t go on year after year, after year.”
An annual membership of $10 for adults – “which is like giving up two cups of coffee,” Mr Hannaford said – or $5 for children, would go directly into the pool of funds to be donated, with the shop supporting the coalition’s infrastructure.
However, members would also need to donate their time to run the organisation, but Mr Hannaford said that passionate potential members were in the area.
“We want people who really want it to happen, to get this up and out,” he said.
“There are people in the field who have retired, and who have time, who have a sincere desire to help save wildlife and the environment – we want to appeal to them.”
Mr Hannaford said that three people had already put their hands up to get involved, and that about six more people were being sought to express interest for the group.
He said people who have skills in marketing, social media, computers and running events would be encouraged to get in contact.
“If you get six people passionate about achieving something, they’ll achieve it,” he said.
For more information, call 5962 6399, visit www.coalitiontosavewildlife.org or email admin@jesavewildlife.org
