Volunteer Summary
We always welcome new volunteers to our association. If you'd like to help in ways other than financial, we'd love to have you join our volunteer team. No experience necessary, as we'll give on-the-job training where it's necessary.
If joining us is something you're interested in, scroll down to discover more about the roles our volunteers hold within our organisation. Please be aware, the government has been tightening regulations around activities where children may be present. Therefore, all active volunteers require a blue card. Read more about Blue Cards here.
Become a Rescuer
Our rescuers help wild animals when they are in danger, sick, injured or orphaned. The role of a rescuer is to safely, and with as little stress as possible to the animal, catch it so that it can get the help it needs.
Rescuers can take particular 'shifts' when they are 'on call', or can jump in to help when alerts are sent out.
We only ever rescue animals that are in need of our help. This might be from sickness, injury or imminent danger, as specified in the guidelines from the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI).
The vets and wildlife hospitals then make a decision on treatment. If the outcome is a positive one, after a suitable recuperation, our rescuers carry out a release back to a safe location near their place of capture.
The diseases affecting koalas can make them sterile or blind and eventually cause death. The sooner they are treated, the more likely they are to recover.
Read more on Rescue Info
Become an Ambulance Driver
Our ambulance driver volunteers (Ambos) are needed to transport koalas who require hospital care. Once a rescuer has caught a koala and placed it into a cage, an ambulance driver will then transport it to the hospital. This is usually the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital at Wacol, or Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital (AZWH) at Beerwah. Ordinary vets are not trained to treat koalas, which means roughly a two-hour drive for the ambo going there and back. Currently, a fuel allowance of 30c/km can be reimbursed if the driver wishes to claim back their mileage.
On a brighter note, an ambo might be asked to pick up a rehabilitated koala who has recovered and is being discharged from hospital. The koala is then driven back to the Pine Rivers region to be released into the wild by a rescuer, near to where they were caught.
Ambulance drivers need to have their own suitable vehicle for transporting the wildlife cage and a current driver's licence.
Help with Habitat and Bush Care
If you love gardening, we'd love to see you. The local wildlife habitats in the Pine Rivers region are often overrun with weeds and vines smothering our canopies and making it difficult for koalas to move from tree to tree. The climb from the base of a good eucalyptus tree might be hindered by thick scrub and spiky asparagus vine.
You're in good hands with our Habitat Coordinator, Janet, who was the Women in Landcare winner 2023-2024. Our habitat and bush care volunteers meet at given parks to help clear the invasive plants and weeds and seasonally plant new trees. Although normally for members to cover you by our insurance, occasionally these are advertised as a community event where anyone is welcome to help with the bush care or a planting day. Please check our Calendar or FaceBook page for any upcoming community dates. Regular volunteers have sites they visit weekly on weekdays or weekends. If you indicate on the joining form an interest in habitat, we'll be in touch to let you know when and where the regulars meet.
What to bring: Our Habitat Coordinator organises any equipment and plants needed. You simply come along with your gardening gloves, hat, long-sleeved shirt, long trousers, closed-in shoes and a water bottle.
Read more detail on Habitat
Help With Fundraising and Events
Throughout the year we hold several events. Sometimes the event is a fundraiser, such as a Bunnings Sausage Sizzle. Cooking, order taking and assembling the orders can be tiring and, therefore, done in volunteer shifts. The aim of the fundraiser is obviously to raise funds to help cover the running costs and equipment needed to continue our rescues and habitat work.
Other events are purely educational. 'Bear' hunts (did you know koalas are not bears), school visits and much more are designed to raise public awareness of the koala, their endangered status and what you can do to help them. We always need help and support with these events, both planning and preparing for the days, as well as assisting on the days themselves.
The Pine Rivers Show, Wild Koala Day, Convoy for Kids and other community events are occasionally a combination of fundraising and educational. Answering questions, handing out pamphlets but also holding raffles or selling merchandise. If you are a company that can donate products, we'd also love to hear from you. Read more Fundraising
Become a Rescue Phone Operator
Our rescue phone needs to be answered 24/7. Our volunteers take shifts each week answering the phone, giving advice and passing on the calls that come in to the appropriate rescuers/organisations. Did you know there are specific organisations for bats and another for reptiles? Also, vets will take wildlife free of charge. Where possible, if the caller can contain the bird or possum in a small box, they can take it to their nearest vet for treatment, or take it to one of the emergency vets if it's outside the normal opening hours of their nearest. A vet will triage, then either get RSPCA to collect them for further treatment (e.g Lorikeets and their paralysis syndrome LPS) or they will call a carer to collect and complete any further care until ready for release. Training and notes are provided to ensure you are comfortable giving the right advice when a call comes in. In some instances, the rescuer also takes phone calls if their availability means they are able to give advice and go out and about doing the health checks.
If you don't drive, but still want to help, this is a great way to contribute to our organisation.
If you would like to join our team, please do so now. No experience is necessary, we offer on-the-job training to all our volunteers. You get to choose how much or how little time you offer. We run 24/7, so any time of the day, night or week is available. The shifts are filled on a week-by-week basis, so no need to plan too far ahead with your commitment.
