Wombat Welfare volunteers call for support
Thank you so much for such an informative article about wombats (SHN September 4).
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It reminds me of a sad story about a wombat.
It was lying in the long grass near the road edge. The carer found him dehydrated, hungry, cold.
Bringing him grass, water and applying medication to his coat and covering hm for some warmth she visited him several times a day for a few weeks.
But it was too late.
The sarcoptic mite had left this creature with thickened, itchy skin, eyes and body and as the might had burrowed through the skin the wombat also had diseased internal organs.
For this wombat it was a slow, miserable and painful death.
Our early settlers, in their ignorance, brought in the mite with the cattle, sheep, rabbits, foxes, weeds and much else unsuited to this poor country.
On the dogs, cattle and even us, the mite have a nibble, lay a few eggs and alone they die and drop off. If they are not alone, they mutliply and are a nuiscance.
In the wombat it burrows inside and kills.
Monotremes; platypus and echidnas, then came marsupials; wombat.
What a long, strange history to go so miserably with a mite and so many wombats now have it.
Thanks to the carers, and we are lucky to have a few here in the shire, many wombats are being cared for.
But it costs. Lots.
If you think these natives should survive, we have opened an account. Details are Wombat Welfare bsb 802101 account 100075892.
Thank you for reading and showing an interest in this cause.
Roma Dix
'Go out and live': Doctor's orders
Peter Dewey looked after me after I was hit head on while driving my Kombi van in Wagga Wagga.
Next morning he came to see me in intensive care and said I had broken my left leg right arm and he had to amputate my right leg below the knee. His most endearing comment some four months later after I had a prosthesis was "Go out and live".
And so I did.
I clambered around my roof, replacing tiles, cleaning the gutters and even climbed a large ladder to lop a very tall gum tree with an electric chain saw.
Then bike riding and bush walks and so on.
Sadly I was not able to water ski again and that was about all I could not do.
So a big thank you to Dr Peter, he did a good job along with Alan Nichols and then pushed me to do my bit in getting better.
I am now 80 and still l iiving life to the full.
Bevan Walls
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