Locals walking in the Black Rocks sports field came across a very strange sight recently: dozens of teddy bears tied to trees near where the Pottsville & District Men’s Shed is proposed to be built.
What was the meaning of the teddy bears? Who put them there and why? Were these teddy bears symbolic of the koalas who quietly sleep in the eucalypts around the sports field, out of sight and out of mind? The teddys were all looking towards the proposed location of the shed just 20 metres away.
One teddy bear appeared to be lying at the base of the tree, no doubt representing koalas too weak to climb and dying from stress-induced chlamydia.
The rest were gawking in the direction of the proposed shed, probably dreading the silence soon to be shattered by even more loud noises but this time from lathes, power tools, drills and petrol-fuelled model aeroplanes being tested from the men’s shed, (in addition to hoons on trail bikes, barking dogs, paramotoring, cricket matches, doof parties, helicopters).
The stressors at Black Rocks are man-made loud noises and not the sound of wind in the trees, rain falling on the ground or occasional thunder.
Loud noises prevent the koalas from getting 18-20 hours sleep a day which they need to digest the gum leaves.
Lack of sleep compromises the immune system leaving them prey to deadly chlamydia, a painful way to die. Since 2014 seven Black Rocks koalas have died from chlamydia.
Imagine if you couldn’t get a decent night’s sleep night after night and how that would affect your health? It’s the same for these sleepy creatures, possibly even more so.
Tweed Shire Council has the view that koalas are not affected by noise and completely ignore the fact that koalas at Black Rocks are dying three times faster than what they can breed and have not recovered from the Xmas 2014 fire.
There are studies available showing that koalas have an aversive response to loud noises, tend to move away and in the process can suffer death, reduced breeding potential or stress.
Koala lovers are wondering why council is unable to recognise that these koalas are the goose laying the golden egg of ecotourism for Pottsville. Maybe this is the message of the teddys?
If council was to revegetate this sports field (as recommended by four ecologists), augment the koala population with genetically similar koalas so they breed up, then turn it into a Koala Sanctuary, (sensitively designed with viewing platforms, walkways and guided tours into the wetlands) imagine what a boost it would be to local businesses?
Not only hospitality and retail but also ecotourism. How rare is it that tourists get to see koalas in the wild? Mostly they are seen in zoos or koala hospitals.
It would put Pottsville on the map. Since koalas bring in $2.5 billion in tourism to Australia every year, why don’t we cash in on this potential?
The Japanese are particularly enamoured with our koalas. In fact, overseas visitors in general love and appreciate our koalas more than we do. How sad is that?
The new council candidates are all talking about helping the economy and creating jobs. Well here is such an opportunity.
Will any of them have the vision to make this idea a reality? It would help the economy and also serve to assist our endangered coastal koalas which council has admitted are in severe decline.
Black Rocks is at the juncture of wildlife corridors going north-south/east-west and critically important to protect.
Putting a men’s shed there runs counterproductive to what the koalas desperately need right now.
For those unwilling to give up the Black Rocks sports field, bear in mind that the upcoming Dunloe Park housing estate will need to build their own sports field in coming years and since there is currently an oversupply of sports fields in the area (three in Pottsville already with Black Rocks hardly ever used) we can afford to wait for this.
Besides, locating the men’s shed more centrally (e.g. Lot 3 Centennial Ave, the Barry Shephard oval or the Raiders) would be better for the shed members than an isolated location 4km from town with a long history of vandalism and arson.
And so we are down to the wire. Will the shed licence be approved by council or not? Submissions are currently being received by council up to 25 October so please write and be a voice for our koalas.
Menkit Prince, Uki
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