The Jirrahlinga Koala & Wildlife Sanctuary is situated on 5 acres of land on the Northern edge of Barwon Heads.
Jirrahlinga, Aboriginal for "Seek a home for a kangaroo", was
established more than 30 years ago by Tehree Gordon to be a haven for injured wildlife.
Following the Ash Wednesday Bushfires in 1983, Jirrahlinga
received national & international media coverage acclaiming the rescue mission launched to seek out and treat shocked & burnt animals.
This is the secret of Jirrahlinga; a place where
dementia patients suddenly respond for the first time in months, where people with learning difficulties working on a regular basis find the confidence to talk
animatedly about their animal charges, or where disadvantaged youth gain an
opportunity to move on through life after discovering that the complexities of life can be managed by giving to creatures with more need than they have and which respond with their own form of gratitude
But Jirrahlinga is not just for distressed native animals. It is primarily about people. Particularly people who have a disability, a special need, the frail or the aged.
What better therapy could there be than to come into a supportive environment to work quietly with animals or just visit and touch a koala or joey that do not place demands on a person's
physical or mental capacities.
Everyone at Jirrahlinga would like
to say "Thank you" to the Drol kar Buddhist
Centre, Geelong for allowing us to use the photograph of the
Buddhist Monk on the front page. The photo was taken during their
"Sacred Footsteps From the Roof" world tour in 2005. When the monks
visited we closed the Sanctuary gates to the public which allowed the
monks to see and interact with our unique wildlife in peace, whilst the
media where left behind the front gates.
The monks enjoyed their visit so much that in 2007 they once again
visited the Sanctuary. During that visit the monks blessed the animals
and to honour this we named one of our Koalas "Tashi" after the monk who
performed the blessing. Everyone, including all faiths, are welcome at
Jirrahlinga and as a matter of interest we have Koalas named after an
Indian boy, a Muslim girl, a Pakistan boy, a Turkish lady and of course
an Aussie and indigenous name or two. For more information about the
monks, please
Click
Here.
