WIRES Northern Rivers, Dunoon and District Gazette
WIRES Northern Rivers is delighted to welcome newly appointed Emergency Response Team (ERT) member and ambulance driver Tarn Donaldson and the arrival of a dedicated native wildlife rescue ambulance.
Ms Donaldson and the new fully equipped ambulance will be providing local rescue support across WIRES Northern Rivers and Clarence Valley branches and be on-call to attend critical and/ or unresolved rescues reported to WIRES 24/7 Rescue Office.
WIRES ERT currently manages a fleet of eight wildlife ambulances and emergency responders across NSW, Queensland and Tasmania.
Four local WIRES Northern Rivers Executive members and Ms Donaldson were on hand to take delivery of the new ambulance on Friday 28 April after it was driven from Sydney by WIRES ERT manager Lucy Clark.
Chair of WIRES NR, Annie Crowley, said Ms Donaldson has been warmly welcomed and the new ambulance will make a big difference to local rescue operations.
“We are delighted to have Tarn assist us with this dedicated ambulance on standby to help with the many rescues called in from the Northern Rivers and Clarence Valley areas,” Ms Crowley said.
“We are so privileged to live amongst such abundant wildlife and lucky to have so many threatened species call this region home and we need to ensure their survival.”
Ms Donaldson has been volunteering as a wildlife carer in NSW and Queensland for more than 14 years and was previously a member of the WIRES Northern Rivers Branch. She has worked as an advanced paramedic for the past 12 years, which perfectly complements the many skills required for this role. She has a strong passion for animal care and has completed extensive wildlife training courses and professional development training. She is trained to rescue and handle a range of wildlife species including flying foxes, venomous snakes, raptors and large mammals.
WIRES Northern Rivers and Clarence Valley are inviting more volunteers to help with our local wildlife. If you are interested, please book in for the upcoming WIRES Rescue and Immediate Care (RICC) course being held in Lismore on Saturday 3 June and Brushgrove in Clarence Valley on Sunday 4 June.
There is an online component so early registration is recommended. For further details and to book please visit https://www.wires.org.au/training/rescue-and-care
“Rescuing, caring and rehabilitating orphaned and injured native wildife is a truly rewarding experience especially when you get to release them back into the wild where they belong. WIRES is always happy to train and welcome more community members to lend a hand,” Ms Crowley said.
This article appeared in the Dunoon and District Gazette, June – July 2023.
