2024 is in full swing at Friends of the Koala, thanks to our amazing volunteers who work tirelessly throughout the year and over the holidays to make sure our koalas are well cared for and others are being rescued and treated in our hospital.
January is a time to plan and set goals and our Volunteer Co-ordinator Jen is doing just that. Lots of effort is going into training for our volunteers in 2024.
If volunteering with koalas has been something you have considered but not taken the leap – why not make it a goal for this year and keep an eye out for what opportunities are available at Friends of the Koala?
Current volunteer vacancies are:
- Koala Carers
- Hotline Operators – we urgently require hotline operators – this can be a work from home opportunity.
- Plantation Crew
- Administration Crew
- Social media support – are you great with social media and can offer 2 to 3 hours per week?
- Fundraising support – join our Fundraising Committee and help us raise much needed funds for koalas – this is a flexible role.
Please send all enquiries to our Volunteer Co-ordinator Jen: volunteercoord@friendsofthekoala.org
It goes without saying that we appreciate all of our volunteers and take the opportunity to highlight a few each month in our newsletter so that you, our readers, get to know these special individuals who make it all happen.
Volunteer updates
We now have eight Administration Volunteers working in the Burribi Centre. These volunteers are covering the reception, adopt a koala, data collection, equipment management, merchandise sales, ordering supplies, donation boxes and banking. We are just thrilled to have all of these new people helping us out.
Mid December saw the appointment of our Release Compliance and Liaison Officer. A big thank you and welcome to Susan Monkley in the role, who will assist the vets and area coordinators in all things releases, including organising logistics and ensuring compliance with the Code of Practice for Injured, Sick and Orphaned Koalas. Susan is also our Secretary on our Management Committee, a koala care team leader and rescuer at Friends of the Koala.
It has been a busy time for joeys and so our team including Chloe, Nicci, Julie, Chris, Ire, DaniSu and Graeme have all been terrific at moving our koalas from Koala Kindy to plantation and back.
A lot of hard work goes into providing perfect leaf for our koalas. The leafing team have done a terrific job over the holiday break making sure our koalas have enough leaf to aid in their recovery. (And it’s been hot!)
Also, thanks to the plantation team who have collected the old leaf that’s not required. (And don’t forget teams to make sure only branches go in the trailer for mulching!) Thanks also to Fiona (Leafing Co-ordinator) who always has the team organised!
Some recent photos of our volunteers in action
Our People Appreciation Party for our volunteers took place on Friday January 19th. This is just a small thank you to our incredible volunteers for all the work that they do including over the holiday period.
Visit our volunteering page to find out more information about volunteering with Friends of the Koala. If you’re local the Northern Rivers then you might like to learn more about our:
