Five Freedoms Animal Rescue

17/08/2026

With winter coming to an end, and with the weather gradually improving, land development projects ramp up, and our natural environment must again make way for our insatiable appetite for new houses, bigger roads, massive shopping centres, and more schools.

However, this time of year is also the start of breeding season, when birds build nests and lay eggs. But the trees that are their homes are being cut down. Watching the destruction of our environment and the removal of precious habitat is hard to witness, and the impact to our wildlife is devastating.

One such tree that was removed last week was found to contain a nest deep in its hollow trunk that contained 12 eggs. A pair of maned wood ducks were seen flying from the tree during its removal. Fortunately, the eggs weren’t damaged in the process, and I was able to carefully retrieve all 12 intact. Using a ‘candling’ technique, I was able to determine that the eggs were quite advanced in their development, and I therefore kept them warm and quickly took them home to be placed into an incubator. Just 3 days later, I became a father. 10 of the eggs hatched over a couple hours, and now we have a bunch of noisy, hungry mouths to feed. But oh so cute. It is our (humans) fault that mum and dad lost their babies and these babies deserve their chance at life. We will do our best to give them a chance at the East Trentham Wildlife Shelter

28/07/2026

Noooooo. Not Brussel sprouts again!

If you want to see more cutesy pics and stories, please visit my East Trentham Wildlife Shelter page where I now post the stuff about the animals in care at my shelter and the charity work that we do. Please also check out my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/easttrenthamwildlifeshelter/

18/07/2026

This video could help you save the life of a kangaroo, and your car.

Kangaroos are rarely on their own. They hang around in groups and with their friends. They also have NO road sense. Remember this when driving, especially from dusk to dawn.

This dash-cam video is from my recent early morning drive to work. You will see me swerve slightly when I sight a kangaroo near the edge of the road. I immediately reduced my speed in case there were other kangaroos. I spotted another kangaroo hopping near the road on the left. I now continue to drive very slowly. I safely pass the second kangaroo but keep driving at a crawl expecting more animals when the little bu**er suddenly shot across the road in front of my car. Had I not been driving so slowly, I would have almost certainly hit the kangaroo. The cost of driving sensibly was a few extra seconds to my trip. The benefits speak for themselves.

Honking your horn doesn’t work - in fact it can make kangaroos panic and take off all directions. Trying to speed past is a recipe for disaster. Slow and patient is the only answer.

15/07/2026

‼️ WARNING ‼️

A number of comments have appeared under some of my posts regarding the purchase of Five Freedoms tee shirts.

THIS IS A SCAM! I don’t sell tee shirts nor have I authorised other people to do so on my behalf.

DON’T OPEN THE LINK!!!!!!

See example below.

03/06/2026

Just when we thought it couldn't get worse. The GMA are completely corrupt. They lie, fabricate offences, and abuse their power to prevent wildlife rescuers from obtaining evidence of bad hunter behaviour. They protect hunters at all costs. They are not independent. They are not impartial. Their agenda is to appease the tiny portion of our society that have a blood lust. Protected species are killed and countless animals suffer horrendously because of evil people with guns and because of the GMA.

The GMA should be shut down. They are rotten from the top down. Many of their officers and superiors should be prosecuted. But instead of shutting down this department, the government is planning to expand their powers. America has Donald Trump and his ICE agents. We have Jacinta Allan and her GMA.

Please read this Animals Australia post and act.

Wildlife rescuers could be jailed. Duck shooters could get more power.

31/05/2026

Our purpose is to permanently ban the recreational shooting of native waterbirds in Australia.

24/05/2026

Big news about little Strawberry!

Today, we are celebrating a milestone that once seemed so far away. Strawberry no longer needs bandages for her burned feet! This is her story…

In the aftermath of a devastating bushfire in Victoria earlier this year, officers found a kangaroo mum suffering from severe burns. Sadly, mum could not be saved. As they approached, something extraordinary happened, a tiny joey hopped straight up to them for help. For a wild kangaroo joey, this is incredibly unusual. Somehow, this brave little girl seemed to know that these humans were her only chance. Her mum was now gone.

The joey had burns of her own and she desperately needed care. Thanks to the wonderful team from Vets for Compassion (VFC) and Animals Australia, who were rescuing wildlife affected by the fires, she received immediate treatment and was then transported here to the East Trentham Wildlife Shelter. This occurred on 17 January 2026. While being treated, the little joey licked some strawberry jam from the hand of one of her helpers. She was subsequently named Strawberry.

Over the next four months, Strawberry faced her recovery with remarkable courage. She endured 27 bandage changes, countless treatments, and many long days of healing. When she arrived, she weighed just 3.5kg. Today, she weighs more than double that and has blossomed into a bright, cheeky young kangaroo with a heart full of curiosity.

One of our favourite things about Strawberry is her gentle nature. She loves checking in on the younger joeys in care, hopping over to see what they're doing and making sure she doesn't miss out on any excitement. Despite everything she has been through, she has remained trusting, loving and full of life. As soon as someone sits on the couch, Strawberry jumps up and throws herself onto their lap. It is impossible to not fall in love with her.

On 20 May, we reached the moment we had all been hoping for. Strawberry's bandages were removed for the very last time. Her wounds had healed.

There is still a journey ahead as she moves into rehabilitation and learns the skills she'll need for life as a wild kangaroo, but today we celebrate just how far she has come.

From a frightened little bushfire survivor seeking help, to a thriving young kangaroo with a bright future ahead, Strawberry reminds us that healing is possible when compassion, dedication and hope come together.

A heartfelt thank you Vets For Compassion for their support and site visits, and to Animals Australia for helping fund VFC during the vital rescue efforts. Also special thanks also to Laura, Majella and Lisa for every bandage change, every gentle touch, and every hour of care that helped Strawberry reach this beautiful milestone.

We couldn't be prouder of you, Strawberry. But that isn’t all. This rehabilitation could not have been possible without the love and devotion and round the clock care from my amazing team of live-in international volunteers that were part of her journey: Thank you Floria (France), Andrea (Italy), Alice (Italy), Steffi (Germany), Kaatje (Belgium), Chloe (UK), Katja (Austria), Luana (Netherlands), Ninie (France), Amelie (France), Michelle (USA/NZ), Coraly (France), Mery (Spain), Victoire (Belgium), Jan (Singapore), Jasmin (Germany), Marina (USA), and Meve (France).

For more stories such as that of our beautiful Strawberry and to donate to help me continue this kind of essential work, please visit my new page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573355218399

PLEASE NOTE: The East Trentham Wildlife Shelter Inc is now registered as a charity, and all donations (over $2.00) made to the charity are tax deductible in Australia, and a receipt will be issued for the donation. Just use any of the links for payment options on the new page. Thank you for helping me help animals like Strawberry.








See less

10/05/2026

We’re excited to share something special with our amazing Five Freedoms Animal Rescue community.

A new chapter is beginning — and we’d love you to be part of it. Please join us over at the brand-new East Trentham Wildlife Shelter page, where you can follow the journeys of our rescued wildlife.

17/04/2026

Enormous thanks to the Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network for a substantial grant to purchase much needed straw and hay for the wildlife in care at my East Trentham Wildlife Shelter. With deliveries of 126 bales of comfy bedding straw and 84 bales of scrumptious grass hay, we are now set for winter.

Thanks also to my amazing volunteers Ninie (France), Michelle (USA/NZ), Kaatje (Belgium), Coraly (France), Andrea and Alice (both Italy) who helped unload, carry and stack the bales into sheds. And thanks Ian from Smeaton Hay & Straw for supplying top notch products.

,

07/04/2026

This is a story told by a recent volunteer at my shelter, Issy Beard, from the UK. Like many of the volunteers that come to live at my shelter, Issy learnt much about our beautiful wildlife and she fell in love with our kangaroos. That’s not a surprise, because everyone that experiences these animals has the same result. If only more Australians could learn about our precious kangaroos the way Issy did, we would treat them better.

Behind Australia’s MascotThey were here long before us - and making this showed me why they should remain long after us too.A project that slowly came togeth...