“Yesterday we attended two eastern grey kangaroos, a ringtail possum, a pacific baza, a pelican and a brushtail possum. We also helped four other people with concerns over the phone. We made two trips to the RSPCA.”

THE ‘yesterday’ Melinda Dunne refers to was Saturday, October 18.

It was only a moderately busy day compared to some for Mel Dunne, who has a multiplicity of roles.

She is an accredited macropod carer (kangaroos and wallabies), a trained wildlife rescuer and she’s the secretary of the Rotary Club of SEQ Wildlife Rescue.

In most instances, Mel’s is the voice people hear when they call the club’s contact number to report an injured or orphaned native animal.

Yet, if you had suggested to Mel ten years ago that these roles would be hers, she would have laughed.

But the finding of a joey in a dead kangaroo’s pouch around a decade ago and a more recent recommendation by a Beaudesert Rotarian, changed her life.

Mel and her husband, Scott, live close to the Mirvac Everleigh housing estate and back when the land was being cleared, the couple drove past the development and noticed a dead kangaroo by the side of the road. They would have continued driving but Mel thought she saw a leg poking out of the pouch.

They checked and despite a lack of experience, they rescued a female joey.

Mel recalls saying “well, now, we have to find a wildlife carer” and Scott replying “I want to raise her” and she replied “We can’t do that … it wouldn’t be right”.

But in the course of time, Mel learned how she could ‘do that’.

The process of learning how, came as a consequence of a discussion with an accredited carer, who told her “we’re all run ragged” and there was a “great need for carers”.

Mel was talked through the basics, then trained in macropod care and was assigned a mentor.

Then six weeks later, the carer who was looking after the female joey she and Scott had rescued, contacted her about the raising of “their little girl and a buddy”.

“We started with two to care for and two quickly became 12,” Mel recalls.

“It was at that point, my husband said if I brought any more home he was leaving.”

Mel says this with a smile as there are currently 30 kangaroos and wallabies under their care and Scott, who works six days a week, continues to assist at feeding time, morning and evening and if there’s a young one who needs regular night feeds, he helps out then, too.

After 12 months as a carer, Mel learned what was needed to become a rescuer.

“People were ringing me for things that were still alive so I’d go out and deal with those … a lot of those of course, about 99 percent, would be euthanised,” Mel said.

“I don’t have the [euthanising] drug permit but we’re looking into that. So currently, we call someone who has the drug permit and if they are not available, I call the police.

“But if the injured animal is small enough we carry around what is called a wallaby bag which is just a large 1 m x 1 m thick denim bag and basically I can put the animal in there and take it to a local vet to euthanise for me or if it’s at night, I transport it over to the RSPCA.”

Euthanising an animal that has no hope of survivaI is important, explains Mel, as a kangaroo with severe injuries can live up to four days and a joey in the pouch of a dead mother can live up to five days.

Mel’s role became that of so many other wildlife carers – take the call, rescue and rehabilitate if possible, sit the ‘death watch’ with those animals which had to be euthanised and if the injured or orphaned animal was not a macropod, arrange for the animal to be taken to the appropriate carer.

For the first six years, it was a ‘love job’ for Mel, with the support of Scott.

“Then I learned we could apply to the Logan City Council for a $1,500 annual grant.”

But $1,500 doesn’t go far when you are rehabilitating up to 30 macropods. A bag of the correct powdered milk for macropods costs $570 and lasts about 25 days.

Somewhat more than a year ago, Beaudesert Rotarian David Kenny, suggested that Mel consider forming a ‘cause-based’ Rotary club.

David takes up the story: “I’m a member of the membership team for the Zone 8 Rotary district which covers all of Australia, New Zealand and all of the Pacific Islands,” David explained.

“The team looks at ways to attract people to Rotary and not necessarily in terms of the traditional view of Rotary that everyone is familiar with.”

David knew of the work of the wildlife carers.

“I know that the wildlife is under a lot of pressure and the wildlife carers work really hard to rescue and look after animals and basically most of them are self funded.

“What I thought was let’s create a cause-based Rotary club to help the carers and rescuers in the Logan, Scenic Rim and Ipswich areas,” he said.

(Rotary International describes a cause-based club as … “one where members are passionate about a particular cause and focus their service efforts in that area. People who want to connect with others while addressing a particular set of problems”.)

“The head of the Zone 8 membership team put the concept to Rotary [headquarters] in Parramatta who approved and in turn it went to Rotary International and it was approved,” David said.

“We made contact with people like Mel whose focus was working in the field with wildlife. The club would have the purpose of creating different income streams and all money goes towards the injured and orphaned animals in care.”

Mel agreed and took on the role of club secretary.

And just over 12 months ago, the Rotary Club of SEQ Wildlife Rescue was formed. It was a world first for Rotary – a club whose purpose was to rescue and care for wildlife.

“In the first 12 months, Mel has gone out and made contact with developers and the Greenbank Services Club and other corporate entities.”

Most recently, the Scenic Rim Regional Council granted the lease of a reserve where rehabilitated wildlife could be released to assimilate, in preparation for moving back into the wild.

A GoFundMe page was established to raise funds for two new Intensive Care Units

and the club won a Gambling Community Benefit Grant for the purchase of a wildlife rescue vehicle.

David stressed that his official role with the club was as advisor – a three year appointment to help club members integrate with the rules and processes that Rotary has to put in place.

“Mel and the president, Russell Wickson run it; all I do is advise.”