As part of the Hello Koala Sculpture Trail in Port Macquarie, Charles Sturt University’s Port Macquarie campus now has their very own koala statue named Professor Eugene Eucalyptus, which was unveiled on campus on December 8.
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Representing head of campus Heather Cavanagh, Greg Linsdell said that CSU getting a koala was a great step in CSU’s immersion in Port Macquarie.
“The koala trail has become a signature cultural icon for Port Macquarie and as CSU sees itself as part of the core fabric in the community we saw it an important feature we wanted to be a part of.
“The koala will sit in the courtyard and be a sign of welcome to our new and returning students as well as to the community who wish to visit,” Mr Linsdell said.
After the announcement of koala a competition was run by the university for students to name the koala.
“We ran a competition for the students to name our koala and after a number of strong entries Matthew Pollard won with his name Professor Eugene Eucalyptus,” he said.
Artist Kim Staples said that she had a great time creating Professor Eucalyptus.
“It was a great pleasure painting the koala and I loved coming up with the design to represent CSU,” Ms Staples said.
Professor Eucalyptus wears a graduation cape and mortarboard with stripes on his collar representing the three faculties currently operating at the Port Macquarie campus.
Margret Meagher project director of Hello Koala said the statues are a true representation of a Port Macquarie koala.
“Koalas adapt to the climate in which they live, so koalas that live in Port are lighter in colour and stockier in statue due to our climate and that is shown on Professor Eucalyptus,” Mrs Meagher said.
To see Professor Eucalyptus CSU’s campus is open from 7am – 6pm during the week.