Become a Friend of Bonorong! Whether you can give Friends of Bonorong a little or a lot, your contribution makes a big difference to the wildlife who need emergency care. For over 15 years Bonorong’s paid and volunteer workforce has been working hard every day to protect native animals, especially by helping injured, sick and orphaned native wildlife. With your support they can continue to deliver rehabilitation and conservation programs in conjunction with strong community involvement.
Friends of Bonorong has been established as a registered Australian Wildlife Charity to aid the incredible work of the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. All donations to Friends of Bonorong over $2 are tax-deductible within Australia.
Learn more about the ways you can support us by clicking on the four tiles below.
Tasmania is viewed by some as a Noah’s Ark for wildlife. Our island home is full of an incredible array of native animals; many being unique to this wonderland in the Southern Ocean. But the world is changing and an increasing number of wildlife need our help. Per capita, Tasmania has the highest rate of roadkill anywhere in the world, yet it’s too often accepted as a normal part of life in Tassie. The fragile balance between protecting and saving our unique biodiversity, and the relentless march of progress is what makes the work of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary so vitally important. Through Bonorong’s wildlife hospital, rescue service, critical care teams and the rehab and release program the sanctuary saves the lives of thousands of native animals every year.
We believe that all life has intrinsic value and that all animals are sentient beings; so it’s an entirely humane and caring thing to do to save, heal and rehabilitate these vulnerable creatures – many of whom have been injured because of human activities like highway driving, plastic pollution, dog and cat attacks and more. We also believe that change can be instilled by awareness, education and participation, aided by giving people a connection to understanding the importance of conservation of our remarkable native fauna.
The Sanctuary houses a remarkable range of wildlife emergency services. These include the Bonorong Wildlife Hospital, the Bonorong Wildlife Rescue Service, the Critical Care Team, and the Rehab to Release Team. These teams are now receiving 17,500 calls every year for injured and orphaned wildlife needing assistance. We understand that through such high demand, Bonorong has become the largest private wildlife rescue and recovery service in Australia – staffed by an incredible team of wildlife-dedicated professionals and volunteers. The Primary Care Teams will service many of these calls directly and see an average of 120 wildlife patients each week at the Sanctuary. Your donation will definitely be well spent on just such teams and efforts.
Photo: Michael Eastwell
Photo: Michael Eastwell
Bonorong is not a zoo – the aim is to get healthy animals back to the wild as well as raising people’s awareness of the wonders of the natural world. Return to the wild isn’t always possible and the resident animals who need to stay at the Sanctuary all have a story to tell. These animals undergo meticulous assessment to ensure they are happy and healthy in care. In fact they become true ambassadors for their species. These animals require healthy homes and nurturing habitats, which means there is a constant need for further development and to encourage connections and curiosity for our unique wildlife. Building more enclosures for resident animals within the Sanctuary grounds is a need that continues to grow. The volume of calls for injured and orphaned wildlife increases vastly each year, which in turn means there will be more native animals who require a safe place to call their forever home.
Prevention is always better than cure. So we value the prevention of animals needing our help in the first place. More research is needed across many areas involving wildlife. Friends of Bonorong would like to foster research, funding recipients such as PhD students, researching wildlife and conservation topics. Examples include ‘roadkill prevention’ – injury to wildlife and orphaned young from being struck by vehicles is a highly visible cause of wildlife emergency with some research on measures to mitigate it, but more is needed. Monitoring and tracking emerging wildlife diseases and further collaboration of existing disease prevention is another crucial area of research. Topics such as wobbly possum disease and mange in wombats are other areas of particular interest.
Photo: Michael Eastwell
It looks like you're in the United States, so we've given you the option to make a tax-deductible 501(c)(3) in USD via Every.org. If you'd prefer to donate in AUD, click the option below.
Photo: Michael Eastwell
Got another idea? Let’s hear it!
Please complete the form below and one of our friendly staff will be in touch shortly.
Photo: Michael Eastwell
Payroll giving is a great way to donate on an ongoing basis.
Please complete the form below and one of our friendly staff will be in touch shortly.
Photo: Michael Eastwell
So you’re interested in holding a corporate fundraiser? That’s fantastic.
Please complete the form below and one of our friendly staff will be in touch shortly.
Photo: Michael Eastwell
Would you like to run a donation matching campaign for your business? Brilliant!
Please complete the form below and one of our friendly staff will be in touch shortly.
*Donation Matching Limit: The upper limit of what your organisation is willing to donation match over the duration of your campaign. E.g. we will donation match up to $10,000 AUD.
Photo: Michael Eastwell
So you’re interested in becoming one of our corporate sponsors? That’s fantastic.
Please complete the form below and one of our friendly staff will be in touch shortly.
Photo: Michael Eastwell
So you’d prefer to make a donation via Bank Transfer or Cash? No problems!
Please complete the form below and one of our friendly staff will be in touch shortly.
For more than 50 years Nick has studied the impact on wildlife of changes in landscapes and peoples ’attitudes. Nick’s particular focus has been on trying to accommodate birds of prey and devils in development and dealing with new threats such as invasive species and disease. Nick initiated the government response to Devil Facial Tumor Disease. He is especially concerned about the gulf between reality and people’s ’perceptions of nature. To try and bridge the gap Nick has developed the ethical use of wildlife in education and tourism, presented at conferences at all levels including internationally, andengaged widely in public speaking.
Nick left the public service 11 years ago but continues as a volunteer with devil and raptor management. He also works with industry to assess the efficacy of threatened species management. Nick was a founding member of the Australasian Raptor Association (now BirdLife Australia Raptor Group) remaining its contact for managing raptor/stock interactions, is an active raptor rehabilitator in Tasmania and carries out monitoring and survey of raptors. He remains a regular contact for the media, continuing the long tradition of public engagement and wildlife advocacy.
From 2002-2019 George played cricket for Tasmania, Australia and the Hobart Hurricanes and many teams around the world. His talent and leadership qualities led him to captaincy in many of these teams and this has in part fostered a passion for team-building and a strong community focussed culture.
Post cricket playing days he has pursued this passion for team building and community and is an avid supporter of all things Tasmanian through being an owner of Body Fit Training fitness studios in Tasmania and as a selector for the Australian Cricket Team.
As an ambassador for Bonorong he looks forward to continuing to share the incredible stories of the work Bonorong does and the animals with whom we are lucky enough to share this wonderful Island with people from all over the world.
Greg has had a lifelong career in Corporate management and Financial control. His most recent role as Deputy General Manager of Brighton Council saw him responsible for the corporate side of the Council and financial controller of Council and its associated companies. His responsibilities and interests included strategic property outcomes. Greg was also the General Manager of the Brighton Industrial and Housing Corporation. His board experience includes founding Director of Microwise Australia, founding Director of CouncilWise and founding Director of The Derwent Estuary Program. Greg completed a bachelor of Commerce and IT at UTAS. He belongs to several professional associations including as a Member of The Australian Computer Society, a Member of the Local Government Professionals and a Fellow Member of the Certified Practicing Accountants.
Greg is not just business but also fun. He is a passionate traveller having visited 56 countries where he has a passion for local environmental and social causes. It is through his travels that he has learned to appreciate the raw beauty of Tasmania and the uniqueness of our precious flora and fauna. Greg is also an avid water lover. Be it sailing, surfing, diving or even snow skiing, if he is on water he is a happy man.
Michael is a highly experienced and adaptable consultant, facilitator and coach. As a practising Physiotherapist and Specialist WHS Consultant for over 30 years, he now works in Leadership Development Consulting and Coaching. A long history in human rehabilitation following traumatic injury and illness gives him a deep appreciation of the work done by the volunteers and staff of Bonorong.
Michael has developed and led cultural change programs across Australia, in New Zealand and in the USA. His work has focused on building cultures of respect made operational through practical initiatives and systems. With a long history of appreciating Tasmania’s wildlife and ecosystems, Michael has both an activist and corporate spirit. This combination, along with a deep respect for has brought him to become a Director at Friends of Bonorong.
In 2020 he self-published a personal and leadership development book CHOOSE – How to thrive in a risky world based on a thoroughly road-tested approach to risk management in life.
Michael has also been a key mover in establishing Voices for Tasmania Inc. – a not-for-profit association determined to bring transparency and integrity to the Tasmanian political landscape.
Petra is the Operations Manager at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.
Petra is also a registered wildlife rescuer and carer and has previously worked with the RSPCA, where she became heavily involved with their wildlife ambulance callouts for several years.
Petra began her career at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in 2007 and has an extensive knowledge and history of the organisation. Originally starting out as a Wildlife Keeper at Bonorong, her hard work, prior animal experience and natural touch with wildlife, led to her quickly becoming the Sanctuary Manager. Her calm and steady leadership and passion for wildlife conservation provides guidance and direction to the growing staff base under her management. Petra oversees all aspects of running the very complex entity that is Bonorong and has also set up and transformed the Sanctuary’s growing social media presence in a world that is rapidly turning to online sources for information.
Petra has been instrumental in the success of Bonorong’s conservation programs, all of which have the under-lying goal of preserving Tasmanian wildlife. These programs include the creation of Tasmania’s only 24-hour Wildlife Rescue Service, implementation of the state’s first seabird rehabilitation facility, maintaining partnerships with key stakeholders within the conservation sector and the creation of Tasmania’s first Wildlife Hospital. Her in depth understanding of all species involved in these programs has been pivotal to the successful outcomes for animals undergoing rehabilitation and for the future direction of the Sanctuary.
Petra’s intimate knowledge of Bonorong brings a unique linkage to the board group and she looks forward to using her passion and drive for conservation projects to help achieve the best outcomes for our native wildlife and the environment.
Bonnie believes ‘conservation is a moral obligation and I am greatly looking forward to maximising her impact, campaigning to raise funds and to support the fantastic work that Bonorong does. She is honoured to use her platform and networks to create broader awareness of the struggles of Tasmanian wildlife and encourage more members of the public to do what they can to help them’.
Bonnie is an Actor and Voice Over Artist. She is a NIDA graduate and performed in Seven Network’s The Secret Daughter, Australian NETFLIX flick Escape & Evasion and is well known for portraying Ricky Sharpe in Seven’s Home & Away from 2012-2016.
Bonnie has been passionate about protecting native wildlife since she was small. She’s an ambassador for Save the Tassie Devil Appeal and a Bonorong rescuer, regularly checking the pouches of roadkill and flinging their bodies a good distance from the road.
Stephen is an experienced Chartered Accountant with skills across accounting, economics, and information technology. He is a Director at Glass Wall Lab Pty Ltd, a specialist business systems development, implementation, and hyper care business.
He holds a Bachelor of Computing and Bachelor of Economics, and Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Tasmania.
Stephen brings accounting and business experience to guide Friends of Bonorong through the regulatory compliance requirements, as well as guidance on creating a financially sustainable and transparent organisation. He has visited Bonorong ever since a Grade 1 excursion in 1992. Wombats are his weakness – We all know this and will use them to bribe him whenever it is necessary.
Suzy is a highly experienced Non Executive Director having established and been active on multiple not-for-profit or government boards mostly environment and wildlife aligned. She has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Suzy has over 23 years experience in wildlife rehabilitation having helped lead wildlife volunteer groups, delivered wildlife training sessions and sat on multiple state and federal level boards relating to the wildlife rehabilitation sector. Suzy is also a wildlife carer specialising in the tiny little pink furless rescued orphans taking them all the way through until they can rejoin their natural environment.
In addition to her wildlife sector work she has over 30 years professional experience across the commercial, not for profit and government sectors in executive CEO/COO positions. This unique blend of positions, sectors and business’s, enables Suzy to offer a strategic outlook which also understands business, people and government drivers.
In 2018 she founded a national registered charity called Two Green Threads to help normalise and offer resources for the mental health of Wildlife sector volunteers.
Hank is director of EIS PROPERTY and has worked in the real estate industry for over 49 years. He was also a member of Tasmanian Parliament for 10 years. He is an accredited trainer and motivational speaker, across a number of different industries over the past few years, and he has trained people throughout Australia, New Zealand and USA.
Hank is also a life coach, helping many young men and women. He was part of the Rosny College Vocational Education Training program for 10 years – over that time interacting with hundreds of young people. Hank has been involved in many things at community level involving charitable, church, sporting and other organizations.
He has conducted numerous charity auctions for organisations such as Variety ,Make a Wish Foundation, Save the Children Fund and Ronald McDonald House Choir. He was also actively involved with the Hobart Chargers Basketball Team.
He was foundation Chairman of Common Ground Tasmania, dedicated to providing affordable housing (100 apartments built), including a commitment to assisting homeless people. He’s also past Chairman of Australian Rosny Children’s Choir, Tassie Devils, Tassie Women’s Islanders Team and other charities. He has a strong philosophy of contributing back into the community coaching and mentoring people.
Bill Harvey joined the Friends of Bonorong as President in 2023. Bill brings governance expertise and a wide network to the Board, being an experienced leader in local government. First elected to the City of Hobart Council in 2007, Bill currently chairs the Sustainability in Infrastructure Portfolio Committee, and led the City of Hobart to be the first capital city in Australia to declare a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency. In addition to his experience as a director and chair, Bill has been personally involved in Landcare since the 1990s and is the current chair of Landcare Tasmania. He is committed to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and is passionate about making Tasmania a genuine leader in environmental sustainability.
Photo: Michael Eastwell
So you’re interested in becoming a Founding Partner? Fantastic!
Please complete the form below and one of our friendly staff will be in touch shortly.
