The Weekly Familiar - Koala

The Weekly Familiar - An animal message from Tony

KOALA: Koala is a marsupial that lives high up in the gumtrees and is native to only Australia. The koala teaches us about the importance of rest and sleep. It's medicine is of the Dreamer. It comes to us when we need to take time out of 'busyness' and relax. If the Koala has been making itself known to you through dreaming and meditation it may be because there has been too much worrying, which can make the mind race in circles and lead to exhaustion. Let the Koala show you how to step back from your worries and just BE. Not all problems can be solved through the mind, some of our greatest breatkthroughs in difficult situations come through our Dreaming. Koala would urge you to rest - can you make time for a nap today or even better, embrace in a long, deep period of sleep.

Be Wild!

Tony

These photographs were taken last year at the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter in Victoria an incredible volunteer animal shelter run by Colleen Wood and her amazing team who work without any funding or assistance from the government. Colleen is the leading expert on koala care and welfare in Australia and she would be so grateful for any assistance and donations you can spare to help care for these beautiful animals that are unfortunately in so much danger due to expanding urban environments and man-created diseases. Did you know that you can sponsor one of these gorgeous creatures for just $40?! Colleen's aim is to help as many koalas come to full healing and be returned again to the wild. You can find out more about the work of Southern Ash at their website and on their Facebook page.

Sacred Familiar Koala Sponsorship

As many of you know, the koala is a sacred animal to Tony and I and we thank everyone who has helped us raise money for these beautiful creatures in the past. This little sweetie is Amanda a recently orphaned baby koala who is being cared for by the amazing Colleen Woods and her team of volunteers at The Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter. Amanda is available for immediate sponsorship - just $40 a year and 100% of every donation goes to the koala and it's care. We have visited Colleen many times over the years and we are always awed by her courage, determination and her huge heart that keeps giving despite facing some really horrible realities about the challenges koalas are dealing with in our modern world.

Tony and I will be visiting Colleen very soon to take up funds raised through donation at our drumming circle. If you would like to give a donation we will gladly take your assistance up to the Shelter. We have been told that they have named a koala Sacred Familiar! So you can be a vital part of this koala's care if you feel called.  You can also contact the Southern Ash Shelter at: southernash@live.com.au to find out how to sponsor Amanda or the many other koalas that arrive daily into Colleen's care. Colleen's intention and aim is to give the koalas a safe sanctuary to heal and recover so that they can be returned to the wild again.

The koala is a beautiful and unique Australian animal and they really need help from the us, the new humane guardians of the land.  Every dollar truly counts so if you can give, please get in touch,

Oceans of love, Julia & Tony

Colleen Woods and a beautiful koala now released back into the wild Southern Ash on Facebook

Tony & Becker one of Sacred Familiar's sponsored koalas

Koala Love!

Tony and his new sponsored 'son', Becker

Meet our new 'children'! On Saturday Tony and I delivered the proceeds of the Spring Equinox Circle to the wonderful Colleen Wood and the koalas she rescues at the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter in Rawson, Gippsland. We feel so honoured to have been invited into Colleen's world as the shelter is not open to visitors to ensure that the koalas heal and retain their wild instincts so that Colleen and her volunteers can safely return them to the wild as soon as they are fit.  On this visit we had the extra special treat of going into the 'joey rumpus room'!! There were about 4 orphaned joey (baby) koalas and as you can see from the photos, they were totally adorable - in fact so gorgeous they looked like toy teddy bears hanging in the trees!

Tony is seen here holding Becker a young joey of about 8 months who was found alone on a highway with scratches on his nose, presumed orphaned after his mother had been hit by a car. We also got to visit Cindy again who looked so much bigger and healthier than when we'd seen her 6 months ago that I didn't recognise her - what a compliment for Colleen's hard work. Cindy had a moment with me when she looked very deeply into my eyes and I heard the message: 'Don't forget us'. Our beautiful koalas are really under threat from so many human diseases and the encroachment of housing estates into their ancient trackways and habitats. 

Koala joeys in their 'rumpus room'

So how do we do our small bit so we 'don't forget'? The Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter really do the most incredible work and Colleen Wood is an expert in koala care - the shelter has just released an exciting new program to sponsor your own koala and Tony and I are the proud new sponsors or Becker and Cindy. If you'd like to become a sponsor it's very easy and only costs $40 a year - a little bit of money that will go a long way to help, and what a great Christmas gift! To sponsor your very own koala, please go to: www.samthekoala.com.au or pop in and have a chat on their Facebook page.

Cindy pulling me up for a chat on our last visit

Colleen and Alvin one of the koalas now back in the wild!