Following on from our blog on Warrawee Care Centre and their student’s work to save koalas and support Port Stephens Koala Hospital, we have more good news to share.

Back in the 2019 edition of Kreative Koalas Raymond Terrace Public School was awarded Grand Champion Koala for their vibrantly decorated, life-sized fibreglass koala named Mitjigan Guula, which means girl koala in Worimi language. In collaboration with their Aboriginal Girl’s Group the school incorporated indigenous designs on their artwork to look at the effects of climate change on koala populations. And, in what unfortunately proved to be timely, the koala portrayed how inaction on climate change can lead to devastating bushfires.

The students donated their Grand Champion prize money and Mitjigan Guula to the Port Stephens Koala Hospital.

In 2020 Raymond Terrace Public School continued their Kreative Koala journey by investigating traditional aboriginal methods of firestick farming and modern issues around bushfires, especially in regards to the plight of the koala. In 2020 the school was awarded joint winner of best artwork.

Roll forward to 2022 and on August 11, the Port Stephens Koala Hospital was officially opened with special guest Hon. Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for Environment and Water – and Mya Bolte and Kytaya Bolt-Wells who were part of the 2019 Raymond Terrace Kreative Koala entry.

Mya and Kytaya now attend Hunter River High School and were invited to the opening ceremony in recognition of their work to protect koalas. They were called on stage where Port Stephens Koala Hospital Ron Land thanked them for the school’s custodianship and donations. In return, Kytaya spoke a few words of thanks.

While we here at Action4Agriculture like to share good news stories such as this, it is estimated there are only 250-300 koalas left in the Port Stephens area and that, without intervention, they could be extinct in NSW by 2050. Our Kreative Koala kids can lead us all on a journey of koala recovery.

#kreativekoalakids #youthvoices #creatingabetterworldtogether