Celebrating Nillumbik Women 2009 - Nillumbik Shire Council

Stella Reid
Nominated by Mandy Press
On Black Saturday, the 104-acre Wildhaven
Wildlife Refuge at St Andrews, which Stella
Reid and her husband Alan had devoted 20
years of their lives to, was destroyed.
Wildhaven was a real haven - a safe,
peaceful paradise for all creatures and
especially for kangaroos. Starting small,
over the years the refuge took on more
and more animals, with the living spaces in
the house being turned into nurseries and
intensive care units, and the outside areas
portioned off into runs for the various larger
animals.
In addition to her role as a wildlife carer,
Stella’s wildlife photos are much admired
because she can get so close to the
subjects, with the animals looking her back
in the eye affectionately or with recognition
and readable, respectful expressions.
All animals at Wildhaven under their care
perished in the flames of Black Saturday
(including domestic pets) and numerous
kangaroos, wallabies and wombats who
lived on their property.
Forced to start again, the couple has
designed a new house that has only
one bedroom, but a multitude of spaces
especially designed to be comfortable for
little marsupials. Outside will be a series of
large linked enclosures for the kangaroos
and other bigger animals. Stella says her
determination to rebuild comes from the fact
that she could very well have died in the
bushfires. When they came, she was with
the St Andrews CFA brigade saving a house
in Hildebrand Road. If she had been at
home, she says she doesn’t think she would
have been able to leave the animals. ‘Fate
has given us a second chance of life and
we’re not going to waste it.’