Thirty years earlier, John thought the US Army would be his career for life. But after completing degrees in history and sociology, and adding a diploma of education, he decided to become a teacher while continuing to serve in the Army Reserve. He met an Australian woman in Louisiana in 1988 and travelled Down Under to spend some time with her. He and Rossana were married six months later and they have been married for over 30 years.

They first lived in Liverpool, in Sydney’s south-west, and John worked as a teacher and counsellor with Uniting Burnside.

“I was working with young men in the Campbelltown area and was a disciple of Steve Biddulph. One day I tried to break up a fight, as older boys were bullying a young boy with Tourette’s Syndrome, and in doing so I ended up with serious damage to my neck and was unable to work after that. I was prescribed heavy medication, I wore a neck brace and used a stroller like a walking frame – trying to hide my injury as I was walking my baby daughter.

“You can go two ways in that situation,” John says matter-of-factly. “You can become angry, depressed, alcoholic, miserable to be around and lose your self and your family or you can fight for what you’ve got. I decided to fight and to focus on raising our daughter and do the best I could with what I had left.”

The Creighton family moved to Bundanoon in The Southern Highlands in 2000 and are still living in the same house today.

“It wasn’t until we moved to Bundanoon that I really connected to Australia in a big way, because we were so close to nature here. Our daughter grew up hand feeding King Parrots and she thinks that’s just normal.”

It was when his daughter was about 12, and becoming more independent, that John decided to volunteer to raise wombats – which led to the unexpected epiphany with the beanie-loving baby marsupial. He soon discovered there were major challenges for releasing rehabilitated wombats safely and, after attending a Wombat Protection Society conference in 2015, learned that mange was a huge problem.

Mange is a disease caused by the parasitic mite, Sarcoptes scabiei – the name itself sounds appropriately revolting. Brought to Australia by Europeans and their animals, the mites burrow into the wombat resulting in crusty skin and hair loss. The wombats become extremely itchy and their scratching causes wounds which become infected. This results in the wombat losing condition, becoming dehydrated and malnourished – and many die.

John found that the major animal welfare groups didn’t want to deal with mange because it was seen as too hard and the medicine was expensive. He decided this was a battle that had to be fought so he established Wombat Care Bundanoon in 2015 and put his focus on treating mange as well as filling any wombat welfare needs not covered by other wildlife groups.

In 2019, just four years after establishing Wombat Care Bundanoon, John received the Australian Wildlife Society’s prestigious Wildlife Rehabilitation Award for his work.

“In the field,” the Society stated, “John follows wombats and installs medicated burrow flaps. The wombats become treated for mange when they enter or leave their burrows…John runs community workshops, attends conferences and manages volunteers. A group of 16 university students, and their teacher, were inspired by John’s work and flew over from California to volunteer their time at Wombat Care Bundanoon. John has an in-depth understanding of the implications of mange for wombat populations on a broader ecological scale. John educates children about wombat care and biology at local schools. John also engages with and encourages the wider community to take action on all aspects of wombat conservation and hopes to preserve the Australian icon for future generations.”

In his acceptance speech, John said: “Wildlife rehabilitation is hard work. It is physically and emotionally demanding, but it is also affirming, uniting and beautiful.”

When John refers to “hard work”, it is no understatement. He spends hours on his knees, often on cold rainy nights, rescuing wild animals that can weigh 35 kilograms and will bite and scratch because they are frightened. His daily uniform – which incorporates a lot of oilskin over second hand shirts from Vinnie’s – is chosen because it can cope with dirt, mud and formidable wombat teeth and claws. His signature Indiana Jones Fedora hat provides protection from both sun and rain.

When Creighton won the Australian Wildlife Society award in 2019, no one knew that unprecedented challenges were on the horizon – drought then bushfire then floods.

During the 2019 drought, Creighton played a major role energising the local community to get as much food and water to starving and dehydrated animals – not just wombats – as possible.  And then the fires came.

“After I decided our house was safe, I went to an area I knew very well. I took medicines and blankets – but there was nothing. Everything was shades of grey and black, the ground was hot like sand and not a single bird was there to be heard. It was truly like a scene from another world. I found some animal bones, clearly wombat bones, and they had been burnt so badly you could crush them easily in your hand. I thought everything was gone, but as the sun came up that morning I saw some wombats coming out of burrows. They had survived by going deep underground, blocking the smoke with their butts like a cork and surviving on the air in their burrow. When they emerged, they were already thirsty and starving. There was no food and there was none of the usual smells that they knew and rely on. They have poor eyesight but a great sense of smell, keener than that of bloodhounds, and without those smells that illustrated their worlds, they didn’t quite know what to do.”

And then the rains came, hard and heavy.

“The ground was so dry that the rain caused burrows to collapse and clog up. The wombats got water and mud in their lungs and this led to infections. A lot of them had to be euthanised. It was a nightmare. I never experienced anything like that in all my years in the Army.”

Wombat Care Bundanoon itself has been flooded out of its former burrow and while some generous locals currently allow him to use their land and sheds to rehabilitate wombats, he hopes to find a long-term site for the organisation in the area. Volunteers with the appropriate qualifications are always welcome.

John takes several wombat care calls during our interview and I can see that behind his obvious energy, his work is physically and mentally draining.

I ask why is he so passionate about rehabilitating mangy marsupials in The Southern Highlands, more than 14,000 kilometres from the Louisiana swamps where he spent the first three decades of his life?

“When we love someone or something, it is amazing how much of ourselves we will dedicate to their welfare, wellbeing and care,” he says. “We do our absolute best, regardless of the price or time spent, in order to bring positive change. I saw a glaring, desperate need such that I’d never seen in my life and I knew it simply needed to be addressed. They have so much up against them now. Once I saw the scale of the suffering out there, I could not simply walk away. I still cannot. I don’t expect that I ever will. Their need is bigger than I can ever fill, but I am going to continue to do my level best for them as long as I am here. They need our help more than people realise and they need us now.

“Our work is completely voluntary and when I’m asked ‘Who do you work for?’ I say: ‘I work for the wombats.’ That is more than enough for me.”

For more information visit wombatcarebundanoon.com.au

It is no surprise when you meet him to learn that Mick grew up in Inverell where his family had been breeding Fine Merino sheep and Poll Hereford cattle for three generations. He studied commerce and accounting at Charles Sturt University and worked for Toyota after he graduated. His wife Karen completed an MBA at Charles Sturt University and then worked in a variety of corporate roles.

They bought their first farm in 2002, near Bargo where Karen’s family were living, and Mick thought he would follow in his family’s footsteps.

“I had a plan to grow meat sheep with a self-replacing flock and then out of the blue Karen said: ‘I don’t want sheep, I want alpacas.’ I said: ‘Let me tell you a story about alpacas. I saw my first alpacas at The Sydney Royal Easter Show in about 1989. There were just two of them in a pen in the goat and pig pavilion. I knew what they were, but I said to my grandfather: ‘Pa, what are these?’ He said: ‘Son, they’re alpacas. Steer clear of them, they will be the feral goat of the 2000s.’

“I told Karen there was no fibre industry, no meat industry and no return on investment and that only iconic, well to do people could afford to have alpacas for their tax scheme. But despite everything I put forward, she said: ‘I don’t care, that’s what I want to do. They are such interesting and beautiful animals.’ And then she told me she’d done all this research and even spoken to Janie Forrest.”

Janie Forrest was an industry leader, having taken over the administration and management of Coolaroo Alpaca Stud in 1995 and then purchasing that business in 1998.

“We’d recently bought our first car and we thought we were so good because we’d saved up and paid for it in cash,” Mick recalls. “And then we bought our first couple of alpacas – and they cost more than the car.”

It was a very steep learning curve for the Williams.

It was when his daughter was about 12, and becoming more independent, that John decided to volunteer to raise wombats – which led to the unexpected epiphany with the beanie-loving baby marsupial. He soon discovered there were major challenges for releasing rehabilitated wombats safely and, after attending a Wombat Protection Society conference in 2015, learned that mange was a huge problem.

Mange is a disease caused by the parasitic mite, Sarcoptes scabiei – the name itself sounds appropriately revolting. Brought to Australia by Europeans and their animals, the mites burrow into the wombat resulting in crusty skin and hair loss. The wombats become extremely itchy and their scratching causes wounds which become infected. This results in the wombat losing condition, becoming dehydrated and malnourished – and many die.

John found that the major animal welfare groups didn’t want to deal with mange because it was seen as too hard and the medicine was expensive. He decided this was a battle that had to be fought so he established Wombat Care Bundanoon in 2015 and put his focus on treating mange as well as filling any wombat welfare needs not covered by other wildlife groups.

In 2019, just four years after establishing Wombat Care Bundanoon, John received the Australian Wildlife Society’s prestigious Wildlife Rehabilitation Award for his work.

“In the field,” the Society stated, “John follows wombats and installs medicated burrow flaps. The wombats become treated for mange when they enter or leave their burrows…John runs community workshops, attends conferences and manages volunteers. A group of 16 university students, and their teacher, were inspired by John’s work and flew over from California to volunteer their time at Wombat Care Bundanoon. John has an in-depth understanding of the implications of mange for wombat populations on a broader ecological scale. John educates children about wombat care and biology at local schools. John also engages with and encourages the wider community to take action on all aspects of wombat conservation and hopes to preserve the Australian icon for future generations.”

In his acceptance speech, John said: “Wildlife rehabilitation is hard work. It is physically and emotionally demanding, but it is also affirming, uniting and beautiful.”

When John refers to “hard work”, it is no understatement. He spends hours on his knees, often on cold rainy nights, rescuing wild animals that can weigh 35 kilograms and will bite and scratch because they are frightened. His daily uniform – which incorporates a lot of oilskin over second hand shirts from Vinnie’s – is chosen because it can cope with dirt, mud and formidable wombat teeth and claws. His signature Indiana Jones Fedora hat provides protection from both sun and rain.

When Creighton won the Australian Wildlife Society award in 2019, no one knew that unprecedented challenges were on the horizon – drought then bushfire then floods.

During the 2019 drought, Creighton played a major role energising the local community to get as much food and water to starving and dehydrated animals – not just wombats – as possible.  And then the fires came.

“After I decided our house was safe, I went to an area I knew very well. I took medicines and blankets – but there was nothing. Everything was shades of grey and black, the ground was hot like sand and not a single bird was there to be heard. It was truly like a scene from another world. I found some animal bones, clearly wombat bones, and they had been burnt so badly you could crush them easily in your hand. I thought everything was gone, but as the sun came up that morning I saw some wombats coming out of burrows. They had survived by going deep underground, blocking the smoke with their butts like a cork and surviving on the air in their burrow. When they emerged, they were already thirsty and starving. There was no food and there was none of the usual smells that they knew and rely on. They have poor eyesight but a great sense of smell, keener than that of bloodhounds, and without those smells that illustrated their worlds, they didn’t quite know what to do.”

And then the rains came, hard and heavy.

“The ground was so dry that the rain caused burrows to collapse and clog up. The wombats got water and mud in their lungs and this led to infections. A lot of them had to be euthanised. It was a nightmare. I never experienced anything like that in all my years in the Army.”

Wombat Care Bundanoon itself has been flooded out of its former burrow and while some generous locals currently allow him to use their land and sheds to rehabilitate wombats, he hopes to find a long-term site for the organisation in the area. Volunteers with the appropriate qualifications are always welcome.

John takes several wombat care calls during our interview and I can see that behind his obvious energy, his work is physically and mentally draining.

I ask why is he so passionate about rehabilitating mangy marsupials in The Southern Highlands, more than 14,000 kilometres from the Louisiana swamps where he spent the first three decades of his life?

“When we love someone or something, it is amazing how much of ourselves we will dedicate to their welfare, wellbeing and care,” he says. “We do our absolute best, regardless of the price or time spent, in order to bring positive change. I saw a glaring, desperate need such that I’d never seen in my life and I knew it simply needed to be addressed. They have so much up against them now. Once I saw the scale of the suffering out there, I could not simply walk away. I still cannot. I don’t expect that I ever will. Their need is bigger than I can ever fill, but I am going to continue to do my level best for them as long as I am here. They need our help more than people realise and they need us now.

“Our work is completely voluntary and when I’m asked ‘Who do you work for?’ I say: ‘I work for the wombats.’ That is more than enough for me.”

For more information visit wombatcarebundanoon.com.au

According to the Australian Alpaca Association, the Australian alpaca industry has over 200,000 registered animals and is the second largest in the world, behind only Peru. Alpacas thrive in Australia, in small and large herds, and their soft footpads cause minimal soil damage compared with other ruminants. There is currently good demand for breeding, siring, fibre and agistment services and there is potential to develop a market for alpaca meat.

“Despite their appearance, they are a very robust livestock,” says Mick, “and they are much more intelligent than sheep, so they are far easier to work with.”

So what attracts a young woman like Rubey Williams to the alpaca industry?

“I grew up around them and they’ve always been part of my life,” she says thoughtfully. “Being around them and working with them is the place I feel most comfortable. The primary attraction is the animals themselves, but the social side is great. Alpaca shows are like a family reunion, it’s such a fun atmosphere and a great environment to be part of. The lifestyle it allows you to lead is something I hold in really high regard.”

Asked if she will definitely lead the next generation for Coolawarra and StoryBook, Rubey replies enthusiastically and without hesitation: “Oh yeah! I’m knee deep in it already.”

It is no surprise when you meet him to learn that Mick grew up in Inverell where his family had been breeding Fine Merino sheep and Poll Hereford cattle for three generations. He studied commerce and accounting at Charles Sturt University and worked for Toyota after he graduated. His wife Karen completed an MBA at Charles Sturt University and then worked in a variety of corporate roles.

They bought their first farm in 2002, near Bargo where Karen’s family were living, and Mick thought he would follow in his family’s footsteps.

“I had a plan to grow meat sheep with a self-replacing flock and then out of the blue Karen said: ‘I don’t want sheep, I want alpacas.’ I said: ‘Let me tell you a story about alpacas. I saw my first alpacas at The Sydney Royal Easter Show in about 1989. There were just two of them in a pen in the goat and pig pavilion. I knew what they were, but I said to my grandfather: ‘Pa, what are these?’ He said: ‘Son, they’re alpacas. Steer clear of them, they will be the feral goat of the 2000s.’

“I told Karen there was no fibre industry, no meat industry and no return on investment and that only iconic, well to do people could afford to have alpacas for their tax scheme. But despite everything I put forward, she said: ‘I don’t care, that’s what I want to do. They are such interesting and beautiful animals.’ And then she told me she’d done all this research and even spoken to Janie Forrest.”

Janie Forrest was an industry leader, having taken over the administration and management of Coolaroo Alpaca Stud in 1995 and then purchasing that business in 1998.

“We’d recently bought our first car and we thought we were so good because we’d saved up and paid for it in cash,” Mick recalls. “And then we bought our first couple of alpacas – and they cost more than the car.”

It was a very steep learning curve for the Williams.

It was when his daughter was about 12, and becoming more independent, that John decided to volunteer to raise wombats – which led to the unexpected epiphany with the beanie-loving baby marsupial. He soon discovered there were major challenges for releasing rehabilitated wombats safely and, after attending a Wombat Protection Society conference in 2015, learned that mange was a huge problem.

Mange is a disease caused by the parasitic mite, Sarcoptes scabiei – the name itself sounds appropriately revolting. Brought to Australia by Europeans and their animals, the mites burrow into the wombat resulting in crusty skin and hair loss. The wombats become extremely itchy and their scratching causes wounds which become infected. This results in the wombat losing condition, becoming dehydrated and malnourished – and many die.

John found that the major animal welfare groups didn’t want to deal with mange because it was seen as too hard and the medicine was expensive. He decided this was a battle that had to be fought so he established Wombat Care Bundanoon in 2015 and put his focus on treating mange as well as filling any wombat welfare needs not covered by other wildlife groups.

In 2019, just four years after establishing Wombat Care Bundanoon, John received the Australian Wildlife Society’s prestigious Wildlife Rehabilitation Award for his work.

“In the field,” the Society stated, “John follows wombats and installs medicated burrow flaps. The wombats become treated for mange when they enter or leave their burrows…John runs community workshops, attends conferences and manages volunteers. A group of 16 university students, and their teacher, were inspired by John’s work and flew over from California to volunteer their time at Wombat Care Bundanoon. John has an in-depth understanding of the implications of mange for wombat populations on a broader ecological scale. John educates children about wombat care and biology at local schools. John also engages with and encourages the wider community to take action on all aspects of wombat conservation and hopes to preserve the Australian icon for future generations.”

In his acceptance speech, John said: “Wildlife rehabilitation is hard work. It is physically and emotionally demanding, but it is also affirming, uniting and beautiful.”

When John refers to “hard work”, it is no understatement. He spends hours on his knees, often on cold rainy nights, rescuing wild animals that can weigh 35 kilograms and will bite and scratch because they are frightened. His daily uniform – which incorporates a lot of oilskin over second hand shirts from Vinnie’s – is chosen because it can cope with dirt, mud and formidable wombat teeth and claws. His signature Indiana Jones Fedora hat provides protection from both sun and rain.

When Creighton won the Australian Wildlife Society award in 2019, no one knew that unprecedented challenges were on the horizon – drought then bushfire then floods.

During the 2019 drought, Creighton played a major role energising the local community to get as much food and water to starving and dehydrated animals – not just wombats – as possible.  And then the fires came.

“After I decided our house was safe, I went to an area I knew very well. I took medicines and blankets – but there was nothing. Everything was shades of grey and black, the ground was hot like sand and not a single bird was there to be heard. It was truly like a scene from another world. I found some animal bones, clearly wombat bones, and they had been burnt so badly you could crush them easily in your hand. I thought everything was gone, but as the sun came up that morning I saw some wombats coming out of burrows. They had survived by going deep underground, blocking the smoke with their butts like a cork and surviving on the air in their burrow. When they emerged, they were already thirsty and starving. There was no food and there was none of the usual smells that they knew and rely on. They have poor eyesight but a great sense of smell, keener than that of bloodhounds, and without those smells that illustrated their worlds, they didn’t quite know what to do.”

And then the rains came, hard and heavy.

“The ground was so dry that the rain caused burrows to collapse and clog up. The wombats got water and mud in their lungs and this led to infections. A lot of them had to be euthanised. It was a nightmare. I never experienced anything like that in all my years in the Army.”

Wombat Care Bundanoon itself has been flooded out of its former burrow and while some generous locals currently allow him to use their land and sheds to rehabilitate wombats, he hopes to find a long-term site for the organisation in the area. Volunteers with the appropriate qualifications are always welcome.

John takes several wombat care calls during our interview and I can see that behind his obvious energy, his work is physically and mentally draining.

I ask why is he so passionate about rehabilitating mangy marsupials in The Southern Highlands, more than 14,000 kilometres from the Louisiana swamps where he spent the first three decades of his life?

“When we love someone or something, it is amazing how much of ourselves we will dedicate to their welfare, wellbeing and care,” he says. “We do our absolute best, regardless of the price or time spent, in order to bring positive change. I saw a glaring, desperate need such that I’d never seen in my life and I knew it simply needed to be addressed. They have so much up against them now. Once I saw the scale of the suffering out there, I could not simply walk away. I still cannot. I don’t expect that I ever will. Their need is bigger than I can ever fill, but I am going to continue to do my level best for them as long as I am here. They need our help more than people realise and they need us now.

“Our work is completely voluntary and when I’m asked ‘Who do you work for?’ I say: ‘I work for the wombats.’ That is more than enough for me.”

For more information visit wombatcarebundanoon.com.au

According to the Australian Alpaca Association, the Australian alpaca industry has over 200,000 registered animals and is the second largest in the world, behind only Peru. Alpacas thrive in Australia, in small and large herds, and their soft footpads cause minimal soil damage compared with other ruminants. There is currently good demand for breeding, siring, fibre and agistment services and there is potential to develop a market for alpaca meat.

“Despite their appearance, they are a very robust livestock,” says Mick, “and they are much more intelligent than sheep, so they are far easier to work with.”

So what attracts a young woman like Rubey Williams to the alpaca industry?

“I grew up around them and they’ve always been part of my life,” she says thoughtfully. “Being around them and working with them is the place I feel most comfortable. The primary attraction is the animals themselves, but the social side is great. Alpaca shows are like a family reunion, it’s such a fun atmosphere and a great environment to be part of. The lifestyle it allows you to lead is something I hold in really high regard.”

Asked if she will definitely lead the next generation for Coolawarra and StoryBook, Rubey replies enthusiastically and without hesitation: “Oh yeah! I’m knee deep in it already.”

Palace of Dreams will show at Carriageworks as part of Sydney Contemporary from 8 to 11 September.

Tamara Dean’s career achievements include being commissioned in 2018 to create In Our Nature that was presented at the Museum of Economic Botany (Adelaide Botanic Garden) for the Adelaide Biennale. She has been awarded the Goulburn Art Prize (2020); Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize (2019); Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award (2018); Meroogal Women’s Art Prize (2018); and the Olive Cotton Award (2011). Her work has been acquired by the National Gallery of Australia; Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra; Art Gallery of South Australia; Mordant Family Collection Australia; Artbank Australia; Balnaves Collection Australia; and Francis J Greenburger Collection (New York).

It is no surprise when you meet him to learn that Mick grew up in Inverell where his family had been breeding Fine Merino sheep and Poll Hereford cattle for three generations. He studied commerce and accounting at Charles Sturt University and worked for Toyota after he graduated. His wife Karen completed an MBA at Charles Sturt University and then worked in a variety of corporate roles.

They bought their first farm in 2002, near Bargo where Karen’s family were living, and Mick thought he would follow in his family’s footsteps.

“I had a plan to grow meat sheep with a self-replacing flock and then out of the blue Karen said: ‘I don’t want sheep, I want alpacas.’ I said: ‘Let me tell you a story about alpacas. I saw my first alpacas at The Sydney Royal Easter Show in about 1989. There were just two of them in a pen in the goat and pig pavilion. I knew what they were, but I said to my grandfather: ‘Pa, what are these?’ He said: ‘Son, they’re alpacas. Steer clear of them, they will be the feral goat of the 2000s.’

“I told Karen there was no fibre industry, no meat industry and no return on investment and that only iconic, well to do people could afford to have alpacas for their tax scheme. But despite everything I put forward, she said: ‘I don’t care, that’s what I want to do. They are such interesting and beautiful animals.’ And then she told me she’d done all this research and even spoken to Janie Forrest.”

Janie Forrest was an industry leader, having taken over the administration and management of Coolaroo Alpaca Stud in 1995 and then purchasing that business in 1998.

“We’d recently bought our first car and we thought we were so good because we’d saved up and paid for it in cash,” Mick recalls. “And then we bought our first couple of alpacas – and they cost more than the car.”

It was a very steep learning curve for the Williams.

“One of my great assets is ignorance,” Sharp says matter-of-factly while pouring us a cup of Irish Breakfast tea in his well heated kitchen. “I usually go into things completely and utterly unaware of what I’m up for. It’s only when I get halfway through that I realise that if I’d known at the beginning what I was going to end up doing, I wouldn’t have done it at all. But when you get to that point it’s usually too late to turn back.”

Sharp is certainly not turning back from any of the projects he has taken on since buying a 15 acre property four years ago from David Graham and David Kunde, known as The Two Davids and variously described in media reports as former restaurateurs, eastern suburbs developers and stylmeisters.  Known at the time as Rona Lodge, the property was advertised as a Grand Estate featuring wonderful formal and informal spaces, seven spacious bedrooms, a separate but adjoining two bedroom house, a billiard room, library, indoor swimming pool with spa and gym, tennis court and stables with dressage arena.

Asked if he has made many changes since he bought Rona Lodge four years ago, Sharp pauses for a moment before saying: “Like all these things, you start out thinking we’ll just make a little tweak here and a little tweak there – and before you know it you are doing lots of work and small jobs become enormous jobs.”

One easy thing to change was the property’s name. It is now called Thenford, named for the village in Oxfordshire where his great-grandfather was born. Other changes have not been as straightforward. As we walk through the house, Sharp notes that the walls and ceilings have been completely repainted, all the curtains replaced, a hallway removed, additional fireplaces installed, the veranda area reconfigured, several rooves have had to be replaced and the old stables have been converted into a laundry, cellar and gym.

It was when his daughter was about 12, and becoming more independent, that John decided to volunteer to raise wombats – which led to the unexpected epiphany with the beanie-loving baby marsupial. He soon discovered there were major challenges for releasing rehabilitated wombats safely and, after attending a Wombat Protection Society conference in 2015, learned that mange was a huge problem.

Mange is a disease caused by the parasitic mite, Sarcoptes scabiei – the name itself sounds appropriately revolting. Brought to Australia by Europeans and their animals, the mites burrow into the wombat resulting in crusty skin and hair loss. The wombats become extremely itchy and their scratching causes wounds which become infected. This results in the wombat losing condition, becoming dehydrated and malnourished – and many die.

John found that the major animal welfare groups didn’t want to deal with mange because it was seen as too hard and the medicine was expensive. He decided this was a battle that had to be fought so he established Wombat Care Bundanoon in 2015 and put his focus on treating mange as well as filling any wombat welfare needs not covered by other wildlife groups.

In 2019, just four years after establishing Wombat Care Bundanoon, John received the Australian Wildlife Society’s prestigious Wildlife Rehabilitation Award for his work.

“In the field,” the Society stated, “John follows wombats and installs medicated burrow flaps. The wombats become treated for mange when they enter or leave their burrows…John runs community workshops, attends conferences and manages volunteers. A group of 16 university students, and their teacher, were inspired by John’s work and flew over from California to volunteer their time at Wombat Care Bundanoon. John has an in-depth understanding of the implications of mange for wombat populations on a broader ecological scale. John educates children about wombat care and biology at local schools. John also engages with and encourages the wider community to take action on all aspects of wombat conservation and hopes to preserve the Australian icon for future generations.”

In his acceptance speech, John said: “Wildlife rehabilitation is hard work. It is physically and emotionally demanding, but it is also affirming, uniting and beautiful.”

When John refers to “hard work”, it is no understatement. He spends hours on his knees, often on cold rainy nights, rescuing wild animals that can weigh 35 kilograms and will bite and scratch because they are frightened. His daily uniform – which incorporates a lot of oilskin over second hand shirts from Vinnie’s – is chosen because it can cope with dirt, mud and formidable wombat teeth and claws. His signature Indiana Jones Fedora hat provides protection from both sun and rain.

When Creighton won the Australian Wildlife Society award in 2019, no one knew that unprecedented challenges were on the horizon – drought then bushfire then floods.

During the 2019 drought, Creighton played a major role energising the local community to get as much food and water to starving and dehydrated animals – not just wombats – as possible.  And then the fires came.

“After I decided our house was safe, I went to an area I knew very well. I took medicines and blankets – but there was nothing. Everything was shades of grey and black, the ground was hot like sand and not a single bird was there to be heard. It was truly like a scene from another world. I found some animal bones, clearly wombat bones, and they had been burnt so badly you could crush them easily in your hand. I thought everything was gone, but as the sun came up that morning I saw some wombats coming out of burrows. They had survived by going deep underground, blocking the smoke with their butts like a cork and surviving on the air in their burrow. When they emerged, they were already thirsty and starving. There was no food and there was none of the usual smells that they knew and rely on. They have poor eyesight but a great sense of smell, keener than that of bloodhounds, and without those smells that illustrated their worlds, they didn’t quite know what to do.”

And then the rains came, hard and heavy.

“The ground was so dry that the rain caused burrows to collapse and clog up. The wombats got water and mud in their lungs and this led to infections. A lot of them had to be euthanised. It was a nightmare. I never experienced anything like that in all my years in the Army.”

Wombat Care Bundanoon itself has been flooded out of its former burrow and while some generous locals currently allow him to use their land and sheds to rehabilitate wombats, he hopes to find a long-term site for the organisation in the area. Volunteers with the appropriate qualifications are always welcome.

John takes several wombat care calls during our interview and I can see that behind his obvious energy, his work is physically and mentally draining.

I ask why is he so passionate about rehabilitating mangy marsupials in The Southern Highlands, more than 14,000 kilometres from the Louisiana swamps where he spent the first three decades of his life?

“When we love someone or something, it is amazing how much of ourselves we will dedicate to their welfare, wellbeing and care,” he says. “We do our absolute best, regardless of the price or time spent, in order to bring positive change. I saw a glaring, desperate need such that I’d never seen in my life and I knew it simply needed to be addressed. They have so much up against them now. Once I saw the scale of the suffering out there, I could not simply walk away. I still cannot. I don’t expect that I ever will. Their need is bigger than I can ever fill, but I am going to continue to do my level best for them as long as I am here. They need our help more than people realise and they need us now.

“Our work is completely voluntary and when I’m asked ‘Who do you work for?’ I say: ‘I work for the wombats.’ That is more than enough for me.”

For more information visit wombatcarebundanoon.com.au

There is a memorial area dedicated to his father, who fought in World War II, and grandfather, who fought in World War I, featuring Lone Pines grown from seedlings from the famous Gallipoli battlefield surrounded by rosemary, which grows wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula and has become a traditional symbol of remembrance of Anzac Day. Fittingly, these plantings were the idea of his partner, Rosemary Cummins.

It is the middle of a particularly cold and wet Southern Highlands Winter and I can only imagine how magnificent the gardens will be in Spring.

We have completed our tour of the 15 acres Sharp bought four years ago and now we move to his latest venture. Two years ago, he bought an additional 200 acres from his neighbours, the McKennas, the original owners of Rona Lodge.

“I have managed to lose substantial sums of money running cattle,” Sharp says. “At The Moss Vale Show each year I joke that I should get the blue ribbon for the greatest loss per hectare in the district. So, when I bought this property, I decided I wanted to do something different. My manager said he knew a bloke named Tim Miller who might be interested in doing something with thoroughbred racehorses on my property. His wife is the daughter of friends of mine from Young, so there was a connection there. Long story short, we have a partnership and Tim runs it.”

Sharp grew up with horses in his home town of Young and his children, especially his daughter, were keen equestrians, but he describes himself as only a recreational rider.

So what exactly is his new horse business?

“We do horse breaking, so we take 12-month-old horses and prepare them to be ridden. And we do pre-training, which is taking horses that have never been to a race track and we put them on a race track. We have two race tracks here, one is 1,200 metres and one is 500 metres, and we have two sets of starting gates and barriers. This allows the horses to familiarise themselves with all that procedure.

“The third thing we do is rehabilitation work. We have an eight horse water walker, which is a pretty special piece of equipment. The horses walk around in a circle in a swimming pool with gates between them. It’s a bit like aquarobics for horses and it’s very good for their muscles and injury recovery. We also have an eight horse dry walker and a gallop speed treadmill, which is great for giving them exercise.

“The other thing we do is spelling – which is basically a horse holiday for a racehorse.”

Thenford Farm only started taking horses in February 2021, and there are currently 45 horses on the property. When all the work is finished, it will be able to accommodate about 100 racehorses. The amount of infrastructure is enormous and I ask how many kilometres of fencing he has installed.

“The original quote was for 10 kilometres, but we have ended up with 16 to 17 kilometres,” he says thoughtfully. That is a lot of posts and rails.

For Sharp, Thenford Farm combines bucolic charm with economic sense.

“As the value of land increases in The Southern Highlands, and it’s increased quite dramatically in the past two or three years, it becomes increasingly less economic to run cattle or sheep. So what do you do to maintain the farm-like environment? The best way is with horses, because they are usually expensive things and the cost of the land doesn’t matter as much with horses as it does with cattle and sheep. 

“You also retain a beautiful rural outlook featuring nice fences and green paddocks with horses sitting in them.

“The racehorse industry continues to expand and the historic infrastructure for the industry is now in heavily urbanised areas. The ability to expand that infrastructure, and even keep it, diminishes as time goes by. So the Southern Highlands is a great spot for the growth of the racehorse industry.”

There are also important employment benefits. “If I had 200 acres with cattle on them, I’d probably employ one person,” Sharp notes. “We already employ nine people and we will probably have 14 or 15 when we are fully developed. A lot of people in the racehorse industry make it into a career. They might start out as a stable hand and then work up to different roles, whether it’s a breaker or a trainer or a rider. It’s a great utilisation of the land for this district.”

When he was elected to Parliament as the first Member for the new seat of Gilmore in 1984, the electorate included The Southern Highlands. When the boundaries moved following a redistribution a decade later, Sharp moved to the neighbouring seat of Hume – retaining representation of The Southern Highlands. He has remained in the region since he retired from Parliament in 1998.

For Sharp, The Southern Highlands is home and perfectly located halfway between the two cities where he spends a lot of time – Sydney and Canberra. It’s also easy for his children to visit and stay, as they do regularly. He hates moving house and hopes he won’t be doing so again.

It is no surprise when you meet him to learn that Mick grew up in Inverell where his family had been breeding Fine Merino sheep and Poll Hereford cattle for three generations. He studied commerce and accounting at Charles Sturt University and worked for Toyota after he graduated. His wife Karen completed an MBA at Charles Sturt University and then worked in a variety of corporate roles.

They bought their first farm in 2002, near Bargo where Karen’s family were living, and Mick thought he would follow in his family’s footsteps.

“I had a plan to grow meat sheep with a self-replacing flock and then out of the blue Karen said: ‘I don’t want sheep, I want alpacas.’ I said: ‘Let me tell you a story about alpacas. I saw my first alpacas at The Sydney Royal Easter Show in about 1989. There were just two of them in a pen in the goat and pig pavilion. I knew what they were, but I said to my grandfather: ‘Pa, what are these?’ He said: ‘Son, they’re alpacas. Steer clear of them, they will be the feral goat of the 2000s.’

“I told Karen there was no fibre industry, no meat industry and no return on investment and that only iconic, well to do people could afford to have alpacas for their tax scheme. But despite everything I put forward, she said: ‘I don’t care, that’s what I want to do. They are such interesting and beautiful animals.’ And then she told me she’d done all this research and even spoken to Janie Forrest.”

Janie Forrest was an industry leader, having taken over the administration and management of Coolaroo Alpaca Stud in 1995 and then purchasing that business in 1998.

“We’d recently bought our first car and we thought we were so good because we’d saved up and paid for it in cash,” Mick recalls. “And then we bought our first couple of alpacas – and they cost more than the car.”

It was a very steep learning curve for the Williams.

It was when his daughter was about 12, and becoming more independent, that John decided to volunteer to raise wombats – which led to the unexpected epiphany with the beanie-loving baby marsupial. He soon discovered there were major challenges for releasing rehabilitated wombats safely and, after attending a Wombat Protection Society conference in 2015, learned that mange was a huge problem.

Mange is a disease caused by the parasitic mite, Sarcoptes scabiei – the name itself sounds appropriately revolting. Brought to Australia by Europeans and their animals, the mites burrow into the wombat resulting in crusty skin and hair loss. The wombats become extremely itchy and their scratching causes wounds which become infected. This results in the wombat losing condition, becoming dehydrated and malnourished – and many die.

John found that the major animal welfare groups didn’t want to deal with mange because it was seen as too hard and the medicine was expensive. He decided this was a battle that had to be fought so he established Wombat Care Bundanoon in 2015 and put his focus on treating mange as well as filling any wombat welfare needs not covered by other wildlife groups.

In 2019, just four years after establishing Wombat Care Bundanoon, John received the Australian Wildlife Society’s prestigious Wildlife Rehabilitation Award for his work.

“In the field,” the Society stated, “John follows wombats and installs medicated burrow flaps. The wombats become treated for mange when they enter or leave their burrows…John runs community workshops, attends conferences and manages volunteers. A group of 16 university students, and their teacher, were inspired by John’s work and flew over from California to volunteer their time at Wombat Care Bundanoon. John has an in-depth understanding of the implications of mange for wombat populations on a broader ecological scale. John educates children about wombat care and biology at local schools. John also engages with and encourages the wider community to take action on all aspects of wombat conservation and hopes to preserve the Australian icon for future generations.”

In his acceptance speech, John said: “Wildlife rehabilitation is hard work. It is physically and emotionally demanding, but it is also affirming, uniting and beautiful.”

When John refers to “hard work”, it is no understatement. He spends hours on his knees, often on cold rainy nights, rescuing wild animals that can weigh 35 kilograms and will bite and scratch because they are frightened. His daily uniform – which incorporates a lot of oilskin over second hand shirts from Vinnie’s – is chosen because it can cope with dirt, mud and formidable wombat teeth and claws. His signature Indiana Jones Fedora hat provides protection from both sun and rain.

When Creighton won the Australian Wildlife Society award in 2019, no one knew that unprecedented challenges were on the horizon – drought then bushfire then floods.

During the 2019 drought, Creighton played a major role energising the local community to get as much food and water to starving and dehydrated animals – not just wombats – as possible.  And then the fires came.

“After I decided our house was safe, I went to an area I knew very well. I took medicines and blankets – but there was nothing. Everything was shades of grey and black, the ground was hot like sand and not a single bird was there to be heard. It was truly like a scene from another world. I found some animal bones, clearly wombat bones, and they had been burnt so badly you could crush them easily in your hand. I thought everything was gone, but as the sun came up that morning I saw some wombats coming out of burrows. They had survived by going deep underground, blocking the smoke with their butts like a cork and surviving on the air in their burrow. When they emerged, they were already thirsty and starving. There was no food and there was none of the usual smells that they knew and rely on. They have poor eyesight but a great sense of smell, keener than that of bloodhounds, and without those smells that illustrated their worlds, they didn’t quite know what to do.”

And then the rains came, hard and heavy.

“The ground was so dry that the rain caused burrows to collapse and clog up. The wombats got water and mud in their lungs and this led to infections. A lot of them had to be euthanised. It was a nightmare. I never experienced anything like that in all my years in the Army.”

Wombat Care Bundanoon itself has been flooded out of its former burrow and while some generous locals currently allow him to use their land and sheds to rehabilitate wombats, he hopes to find a long-term site for the organisation in the area. Volunteers with the appropriate qualifications are always welcome.

John takes several wombat care calls during our interview and I can see that behind his obvious energy, his work is physically and mentally draining.

I ask why is he so passionate about rehabilitating mangy marsupials in The Southern Highlands, more than 14,000 kilometres from the Louisiana swamps where he spent the first three decades of his life?

“When we love someone or something, it is amazing how much of ourselves we will dedicate to their welfare, wellbeing and care,” he says. “We do our absolute best, regardless of the price or time spent, in order to bring positive change. I saw a glaring, desperate need such that I’d never seen in my life and I knew it simply needed to be addressed. They have so much up against them now. Once I saw the scale of the suffering out there, I could not simply walk away. I still cannot. I don’t expect that I ever will. Their need is bigger than I can ever fill, but I am going to continue to do my level best for them as long as I am here. They need our help more than people realise and they need us now.

“Our work is completely voluntary and when I’m asked ‘Who do you work for?’ I say: ‘I work for the wombats.’ That is more than enough for me.”

For more information visit wombatcarebundanoon.com.au

It is no surprise when you meet him to learn that Mick grew up in Inverell where his family had been breeding Fine Merino sheep and Poll Hereford cattle for three generations. He studied commerce and accounting at Charles Sturt University and worked for Toyota after he graduated. His wife Karen completed an MBA at Charles Sturt University and then worked in a variety of corporate roles.

They bought their first farm in 2002, near Bargo where Karen’s family were living, and Mick thought he would follow in his family’s footsteps.

“I had a plan to grow meat sheep with a self-replacing flock and then out of the blue Karen said: ‘I don’t want sheep, I want alpacas.’ I said: ‘Let me tell you a story about alpacas. I saw my first alpacas at The Sydney Royal Easter Show in about 1989. There were just two of them in a pen in the goat and pig pavilion. I knew what they were, but I said to my grandfather: ‘Pa, what are these?’ He said: ‘Son, they’re alpacas. Steer clear of them, they will be the feral goat of the 2000s.’

“I told Karen there was no fibre industry, no meat industry and no return on investment and that only iconic, well to do people could afford to have alpacas for their tax scheme. But despite everything I put forward, she said: ‘I don’t care, that’s what I want to do. They are such interesting and beautiful animals.’ And then she told me she’d done all this research and even spoken to Janie Forrest.”

Janie Forrest was an industry leader, having taken over the administration and management of Coolaroo Alpaca Stud in 1995 and then purchasing that business in 1998.

“We’d recently bought our first car and we thought we were so good because we’d saved up and paid for it in cash,” Mick recalls. “And then we bought our first couple of alpacas – and they cost more than the car.”

It was a very steep learning curve for the Williams.

It was when his daughter was about 12, and becoming more independent, that John decided to volunteer to raise wombats – which led to the unexpected epiphany with the beanie-loving baby marsupial. He soon discovered there were major challenges for releasing rehabilitated wombats safely and, after attending a Wombat Protection Society conference in 2015, learned that mange was a huge problem.

Mange is a disease caused by the parasitic mite, Sarcoptes scabiei – the name itself sounds appropriately revolting. Brought to Australia by Europeans and their animals, the mites burrow into the wombat resulting in crusty skin and hair loss. The wombats become extremely itchy and their scratching causes wounds which become infected. This results in the wombat losing condition, becoming dehydrated and malnourished – and many die.

John found that the major animal welfare groups didn’t want to deal with mange because it was seen as too hard and the medicine was expensive. He decided this was a battle that had to be fought so he established Wombat Care Bundanoon in 2015 and put his focus on treating mange as well as filling any wombat welfare needs not covered by other wildlife groups.

In 2019, just four years after establishing Wombat Care Bundanoon, John received the Australian Wildlife Society’s prestigious Wildlife Rehabilitation Award for his work.

“In the field,” the Society stated, “John follows wombats and installs medicated burrow flaps. The wombats become treated for mange when they enter or leave their burrows…John runs community workshops, attends conferences and manages volunteers. A group of 16 university students, and their teacher, were inspired by John’s work and flew over from California to volunteer their time at Wombat Care Bundanoon. John has an in-depth understanding of the implications of mange for wombat populations on a broader ecological scale. John educates children about wombat care and biology at local schools. John also engages with and encourages the wider community to take action on all aspects of wombat conservation and hopes to preserve the Australian icon for future generations.”

In his acceptance speech, John said: “Wildlife rehabilitation is hard work. It is physically and emotionally demanding, but it is also affirming, uniting and beautiful.”

When John refers to “hard work”, it is no understatement. He spends hours on his knees, often on cold rainy nights, rescuing wild animals that can weigh 35 kilograms and will bite and scratch because they are frightened. His daily uniform – which incorporates a lot of oilskin over second hand shirts from Vinnie’s – is chosen because it can cope with dirt, mud and formidable wombat teeth and claws. His signature Indiana Jones Fedora hat provides protection from both sun and rain.

When Creighton won the Australian Wildlife Society award in 2019, no one knew that unprecedented challenges were on the horizon – drought then bushfire then floods.

During the 2019 drought, Creighton played a major role energising the local community to get as much food and water to starving and dehydrated animals – not just wombats – as possible.  And then the fires came.

“After I decided our house was safe, I went to an area I knew very well. I took medicines and blankets – but there was nothing. Everything was shades of grey and black, the ground was hot like sand and not a single bird was there to be heard. It was truly like a scene from another world. I found some animal bones, clearly wombat bones, and they had been burnt so badly you could crush them easily in your hand. I thought everything was gone, but as the sun came up that morning I saw some wombats coming out of burrows. They had survived by going deep underground, blocking the smoke with their butts like a cork and surviving on the air in their burrow. When they emerged, they were already thirsty and starving. There was no food and there was none of the usual smells that they knew and rely on. They have poor eyesight but a great sense of smell, keener than that of bloodhounds, and without those smells that illustrated their worlds, they didn’t quite know what to do.”

And then the rains came, hard and heavy.

“The ground was so dry that the rain caused burrows to collapse and clog up. The wombats got water and mud in their lungs and this led to infections. A lot of them had to be euthanised. It was a nightmare. I never experienced anything like that in all my years in the Army.”

Wombat Care Bundanoon itself has been flooded out of its former burrow and while some generous locals currently allow him to use their land and sheds to rehabilitate wombats, he hopes to find a long-term site for the organisation in the area. Volunteers with the appropriate qualifications are always welcome.

John takes several wombat care calls during our interview and I can see that behind his obvious energy, his work is physically and mentally draining.

I ask why is he so passionate about rehabilitating mangy marsupials in The Southern Highlands, more than 14,000 kilometres from the Louisiana swamps where he spent the first three decades of his life?

“When we love someone or something, it is amazing how much of ourselves we will dedicate to their welfare, wellbeing and care,” he says. “We do our absolute best, regardless of the price or time spent, in order to bring positive change. I saw a glaring, desperate need such that I’d never seen in my life and I knew it simply needed to be addressed. They have so much up against them now. Once I saw the scale of the suffering out there, I could not simply walk away. I still cannot. I don’t expect that I ever will. Their need is bigger than I can ever fill, but I am going to continue to do my level best for them as long as I am here. They need our help more than people realise and they need us now.

“Our work is completely voluntary and when I’m asked ‘Who do you work for?’ I say: ‘I work for the wombats.’ That is more than enough for me.”

For more information visit wombatcarebundanoon.com.au

It is no surprise when you meet him to learn that Mick grew up in Inverell where his family had been breeding Fine Merino sheep and Poll Hereford cattle for three generations. He studied commerce and accounting at Charles Sturt University and worked for Toyota after he graduated. His wife Karen completed an MBA at Charles Sturt University and then worked in a variety of corporate roles.

They bought their first farm in 2002, near Bargo where Karen’s family were living, and Mick thought he would follow in his family’s footsteps.

“I had a plan to grow meat sheep with a self-replacing flock and then out of the blue Karen said: ‘I don’t want sheep, I want alpacas.’ I said: ‘Let me tell you a story about alpacas. I saw my first alpacas at The Sydney Royal Easter Show in about 1989. There were just two of them in a pen in the goat and pig pavilion. I knew what they were, but I said to my grandfather: ‘Pa, what are these?’ He said: ‘Son, they’re alpacas. Steer clear of them, they will be the feral goat of the 2000s.’

“I told Karen there was no fibre industry, no meat industry and no return on investment and that only iconic, well to do people could afford to have alpacas for their tax scheme. But despite everything I put forward, she said: ‘I don’t care, that’s what I want to do. They are such interesting and beautiful animals.’ And then she told me she’d done all this research and even spoken to Janie Forrest.”

Janie Forrest was an industry leader, having taken over the administration and management of Coolaroo Alpaca Stud in 1995 and then purchasing that business in 1998.

“We’d recently bought our first car and we thought we were so good because we’d saved up and paid for it in cash,” Mick recalls. “And then we bought our first couple of alpacas – and they cost more than the car.”

It was a very steep learning curve for the Williams.

It was when his daughter was about 12, and becoming more independent, that John decided to volunteer to raise wombats – which led to the unexpected epiphany with the beanie-loving baby marsupial. He soon discovered there were major challenges for releasing rehabilitated wombats safely and, after attending a Wombat Protection Society conference in 2015, learned that mange was a huge problem.

Mange is a disease caused by the parasitic mite, Sarcoptes scabiei – the name itself sounds appropriately revolting. Brought to Australia by Europeans and their animals, the mites burrow into the wombat resulting in crusty skin and hair loss. The wombats become extremely itchy and their scratching causes wounds which become infected. This results in the wombat losing condition, becoming dehydrated and malnourished – and many die.

John found that the major animal welfare groups didn’t want to deal with mange because it was seen as too hard and the medicine was expensive. He decided this was a battle that had to be fought so he established Wombat Care Bundanoon in 2015 and put his focus on treating mange as well as filling any wombat welfare needs not covered by other wildlife groups.

In 2019, just four years after establishing Wombat Care Bundanoon, John received the Australian Wildlife Society’s prestigious Wildlife Rehabilitation Award for his work.

“In the field,” the Society stated, “John follows wombats and installs medicated burrow flaps. The wombats become treated for mange when they enter or leave their burrows…John runs community workshops, attends conferences and manages volunteers. A group of 16 university students, and their teacher, were inspired by John’s work and flew over from California to volunteer their time at Wombat Care Bundanoon. John has an in-depth understanding of the implications of mange for wombat populations on a broader ecological scale. John educates children about wombat care and biology at local schools. John also engages with and encourages the wider community to take action on all aspects of wombat conservation and hopes to preserve the Australian icon for future generations.”

In his acceptance speech, John said: “Wildlife rehabilitation is hard work. It is physically and emotionally demanding, but it is also affirming, uniting and beautiful.”

When John refers to “hard work”, it is no understatement. He spends hours on his knees, often on cold rainy nights, rescuing wild animals that can weigh 35 kilograms and will bite and scratch because they are frightened. His daily uniform – which incorporates a lot of oilskin over second hand shirts from Vinnie’s – is chosen because it can cope with dirt, mud and formidable wombat teeth and claws. His signature Indiana Jones Fedora hat provides protection from both sun and rain.

When Creighton won the Australian Wildlife Society award in 2019, no one knew that unprecedented challenges were on the horizon – drought then bushfire then floods.

During the 2019 drought, Creighton played a major role energising the local community to get as much food and water to starving and dehydrated animals – not just wombats – as possible.  And then the fires came.

“After I decided our house was safe, I went to an area I knew very well. I took medicines and blankets – but there was nothing. Everything was shades of grey and black, the ground was hot like sand and not a single bird was there to be heard. It was truly like a scene from another world. I found some animal bones, clearly wombat bones, and they had been burnt so badly you could crush them easily in your hand. I thought everything was gone, but as the sun came up that morning I saw some wombats coming out of burrows. They had survived by going deep underground, blocking the smoke with their butts like a cork and surviving on the air in their burrow. When they emerged, they were already thirsty and starving. There was no food and there was none of the usual smells that they knew and rely on. They have poor eyesight but a great sense of smell, keener than that of bloodhounds, and without those smells that illustrated their worlds, they didn’t quite know what to do.”

And then the rains came, hard and heavy.

“The ground was so dry that the rain caused burrows to collapse and clog up. The wombats got water and mud in their lungs and this led to infections. A lot of them had to be euthanised. It was a nightmare. I never experienced anything like that in all my years in the Army.”

Wombat Care Bundanoon itself has been flooded out of its former burrow and while some generous locals currently allow him to use their land and sheds to rehabilitate wombats, he hopes to find a long-term site for the organisation in the area. Volunteers with the appropriate qualifications are always welcome.

John takes several wombat care calls during our interview and I can see that behind his obvious energy, his work is physically and mentally draining.

I ask why is he so passionate about rehabilitating mangy marsupials in The Southern Highlands, more than 14,000 kilometres from the Louisiana swamps where he spent the first three decades of his life?

“When we love someone or something, it is amazing how much of ourselves we will dedicate to their welfare, wellbeing and care,” he says. “We do our absolute best, regardless of the price or time spent, in order to bring positive change. I saw a glaring, desperate need such that I’d never seen in my life and I knew it simply needed to be addressed. They have so much up against them now. Once I saw the scale of the suffering out there, I could not simply walk away. I still cannot. I don’t expect that I ever will. Their need is bigger than I can ever fill, but I am going to continue to do my level best for them as long as I am here. They need our help more than people realise and they need us now.

“Our work is completely voluntary and when I’m asked ‘Who do you work for?’ I say: ‘I work for the wombats.’ That is more than enough for me.”

For more information visit wombatcarebundanoon.com.au