Every stage of building the Southern Highlands Wildlife Sanctuary (SHWS) brings the vision closer to reality. The latest milestone is a $7,141 community grant from the Southern Highlands Community Foundation (SHCF), funding new equipment for a dedicated wildlife rescue trailer.
The grant helps SHWS take another practical step toward improving how injured and displaced animals are reached, cared for, and transported across the region. It also builds on the legacy of esteemed wildlife carer John Creighton, whose decades of work in wombat rescue and rehabilitation inspired the creation of the Sanctuary.
Practical support for real challenges
For John, who co-founded SHWS after more than fifteen years on the front line of wildlife rescue, the grant represents readiness.
In a recent interview with ABC Illawarra, John explained:
“It’s always finding the gaps that we need. Outfitting a rescue trailer, basically a pull-along tradie’s trailer fitted with vital equipment, will really keep us able to safely rescue and transport injured or displaced animals across the area.”
Wildlife rescue in the Southern Highlands often involves difficult terrain and unpredictable conditions. Volunteers respond to calls from national parks, rural properties, and riverbanks that can be hard to reach.
“Not all those rescues are roadside. They can be in national parks, state parks, riverbanks, the back of properties, way in the back. Animals trapped in wells or rail corridors, just off-road stuff. It breaks your heart to go, ‘we can’t get there’ or ‘we don’t have the equipment ready.’ Having a trailer outfitted and ready to go will be perfect.”
Built for the real work of rescue
The trailer design reflects what years in the field have taught Creighton and other carers; that wildlife rescue demands both compassion and engineering.
It will include winches, crowbars, harnesses, lighting, and a custom-built rescue cage on wheels to help move animals weighing up to 80 kilograms out of rough bushland. As Creighton puts it, it’s not easy work:
“Sometimes it’s just one of us or two of us, and the demand is there. It’s life or death for the animals. We work in unpredictable conditions — day and night, rain or shine. So we’re outfitting to be able to do more, and showing other groups and sanctuaries how they can learn from that.”
Community backing that matters
The Southern Highlands Community Foundation’s 2025 Grants Program provided $129,641 in funding to seventeen local organisations supporting youth, health, arts, environment, and education. SHWS was recognised for its community-driven approach to wildlife care and collaboration.
“Grants like this don’t just fund equipment. They build capability. They show local volunteers that the community is behind them, that what we’re doing matters.”
With support from SHCF and partners including the Medich Foundation, PAYCE Foundation, and Deicorp, SHWS continues to strengthen its foundations for a sanctuary that will bring rescue, education, and research together in one place.
Preparing for the future
While the Sanctuary’s permanent site in Bundanoon is still being finalised, SHWS is expanding its capacity for treating mange, volunteer training, and habitat restoration. Tackling wombat mange, a condition remains one of the region’s most serious wildlife challenges.
“Mange is treatable, and it can be cured. We’re working hard towards that, building a team of licensed carers and volunteers, because it’s more than one person or one group can manage.”
Each new grant and partnership strengthens the foundations of the future sanctuary. The trailer and equipment will enhance rescue readiness now while supporting SHWS’s long-term goal of becoming a regional centre for wildlife care and community education.
SHWS Co-founder Peter Lewis says this approach is intentional.
“Our aim has always been to build something sustainable, not just react to emergencies. This kind of support helps us do that, and it brings us closer to having a place where care, research, and education come together.”
SHWS’s work depends on collaboration, from the people who plan and build to the community that believes in its mission. Every grant, volunteer, and partnership helps secure a stronger future for local wildlife.
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