King's Birthday Honours: Cheyne Flanagan receives OAM for service to wildlife and conservation

Ms Flanagan, who is best known for her work with Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to wildlife preservation and conservation.

Ms Flanagan said she was "shocked" by the recognition in the King's Birthday 2023 Honours List.

She views the honour as recognition of those working in wildlife conservation in Australia.

Ms Flanagan is a biologist with 30 years' experience, a volunteer trainer in wildlife rehabilitation for close to 50 years and has been a specialist trainer in koala rehabilitation since 2003.

This year marks Ms Flanagan's 23rd year with the koala hospital.

Ms Flanagan ran the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital for 21 years before retiring from that role. She said veterinarians Shali Fischer and Astrid Van Aggleton were doing a "mighty job" taking the job forward.

These days Ms Flanagan is a Koala Conservation Australia adviser focused on the wild koala breeding program.

The program has been Ms Flanagan's dream for the past 15 years.

The generosity of supporters from around the world in response to a fundraising campaign after the devastating bushfires meant the program was fast tracked.

Ms Flanagan said she was standing beside the soon to start new team that will put the wild koala breeding program goals in action.

The next step is to collect the first group of breeder koalas.

"Because this [wild koala breeding program] has never been done before in the world, we are under the national and international spotlight and we are determined that this is going to work really well," she said.

"It has got to be done."

The program will breed koalas for release into the wild.

The plan is also to put together a blueprint as a template for others.

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