Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Sorry, it was a koala. You are right. You saw it from Queensland—very good! I am sure one of them did give a kangaroo some water as well, but you are right—the photo was of a koala. Numbers of people have spent countless hours and dollars trying to help the wildlife. I want to mention a group in Coldstream that joined together to get donations of blankets and linen from all over Victoria to make pouches for injured joeys and much other injured wildlife. The group, Sewing for Wildlife, is based in Coldstream—Coldstream itself was under threat from fires for much of the time—and they collected and bought blankets and sheets to help distressed wildlife. The group was led by the irrepressible Carolyn Rogers. Some of the other great contributors are Jenny Chatfield, Lorraine Smith, Fay Prendergast, Margaret Haberle, Katrina Jennings and Britney Jennings. They have done a great job and have made literally hundreds and hundreds of pouches for injured animals, which are being dispersed right across Victoria. It is a touching story at the end of what has been a very terrible time for the Yarra Valley and the outer east.

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