EXCEPTIONAL service and a passion for wildlife has delivered a high honour for FAWNA members John and Diane Gorham.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The South West Rocks couple were given the Bryce Launt memorial FAWNA members achievement awards last week.
Mr Launt was killed in 2008 while he was working as the National Parks and Wildlife Services manager at Kumbatine National Park.
As a memorial, FAWNA has instituted this annual award for their members for someone who has given extraordinary service to FAWNA and or Wildlife.
It has been going since 2009 and is a way of recognising the extra service it's members do.
When the pair moved to the Mid North Coast 11 years ago from the Western Suburbs of Sydney their interest in wildlife was able to be fulfilled.
"We've always had an interest in wildlife but couldn't do much about it in Sydney," John said.
"Certainly seeing as we were up here in the country we were able to get involved. It was surprising and quite an encouragement to receive the award."
John and Diane said the thanks they received from the animals as they release them was more than enough but were very honoured to receive the award.
The pair often concentrate on what's known as macropods, which is essentially all hopping animals.
"We tend to be more involved with the really large animals. They seem to be the most difficult," he said.
"When they get into trouble not many people want to tackle a 60 kilogram animal."
Kangaroos sometimes get inside the Trial Bay Gaol, having plenty of grass to eat and it being a quiet environment.
This is where the couple encountered one of their most common calls.
"National Parks have put things around such as plastic bagged bins for tourists and visitors for rubbish," John said.
"A big male kangaroo decided to stick his head in the bin to see what he could find and ended up wearing the lid as a collar.
"We had to catch the animal to get the lid off him. As a big male kangaroo he was quite aggressive."
In the end it all ended up well, with the kangaroo released into a quieter area thanks to the efforts of John and Diane.
Covering from Bulladellah up to Stuarts Point, there are about 260 FAWNA members.
"The work FAWNA and its members do are vital to the community and we are very proud to be apart of it," John said.