Tribute to Audrey Koosmen
10th November 2020
Mr GREG PIPER (Lake Macquarie)—I'm honoured to acknowledge the monumental work of Audrey Koosman from Blackalls Park who is a truly remarkable woman and a genuine local hero. Audrey is the current president and founder of Hunter Wildlife Rescue, also known as the Native Animal Trust Fund. For the past 56 years, Audrey has dedicated her life and time as a wildlife volunteer. From providing around-the-clock feeds to orphaned animals such as kangaroos, possums and koalas through to fighting to conserve hectares of habitat and co-ordinating mass rescue events, to overseeing the creation of the education centre at the Hunter Wetlands Centre, it's fair to say she's personally responsible for the survival of a countless number of wild lives. In the bushfires earlier this year and at the age of 73, she co-ordinated more than 80 responders over three months who searched and rescued injured and heat-stressed wildlife on fire grounds. She also coordinated a feeding project in the fire ground to ensure that hundreds of starving native animals were fed. Caring for wildlife and fighting for habitat conservation is a lifelong passion for Audrey and she deserves the very highest recognition for her efforts.
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