CQU plays part in donation for endangered species conservation
Published on 01 September, 2005
Dreams really do come true thanks to CQU and its friends. A casual conversation over dinner has made one of the seemingly unattainable dreams of ‘Project Kial’ leader Tina Janssen, come true.
Tina Janssen, along with her partner Peter Brooks, are passionate about the welfare of the endangered Bridled Nail Tail Wallaby species and, using their own money, have established a refuge on their property Kial, near Marlborough.
There, they work with support from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, CQU School of Chemical & Biomedical Sciences, the Work For The Dole program and a variety of overseas volunteers who come and stay for varying lengths of time.
The numbers of Bridled Nail Tails (or Onychogalea fraenata), are down to only a little over 100, all in the Central Queensland area. About 70 of that 100 are to be found at Kial.
Recently the CQU Community Program took a busload of interested locals up to see the work being done at Marlborough and they were handed a ‘wish list’ of items urgently needed to facilitate the work being done there.
Out for dinner a few nights later, Glenys Kirkwood, Co-ordinator of CQU’s Community Program, was chatting to Lyn Smith from Adnought Sheet Metal Fabrication in McLaughlin Street about the fact that a stainless steel ‘hospital’ table was needed to allow the program to proceed under sterile conditions.
From that conversation, Lyn Smith and Adnought Sheet Metal made Tina’s dream a reality and this week, a delighted Tina Janssen took delivery of her table from the generous people at Adnought. As well, large cooking pots, sleeping bags and blankets which were also on the ‘wish list’, were donated by some of the generous CQU Community Program visitors.
“I need to pinch myself,” said Tina, “this table was way out of reach for us but now that Lyn and Adnought have been so generous, we will be able to proceed with the immunology and other work we do, in much better and sterile surrounds. Our volunteers and workers will also benefit from the pots and blankets. I am overwhelmed by people’s generosity.”.
There are a number of other items on that ‘wish list’. If you think you could help with the rescue of the endangered Bridled Nail Tail Wallaby and Project Kial, contact Tina Janssen on 0408 613 914 or tina_janssen@bigpond.com.
Photo: Project supporters with the stainless steel table.