When Tracey Halden applied for Komatsu’s Live Your Dream program, she knew exactly where she wanted to focus her energy: helping those who dedicate their lives to rescuing and rehabilitating Australia’s native wildlife.
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Live Your Dream is Komatsu’s initiative that gives employees the chance to support a community project or organisation they’re passionate about, with a $10,000 grant provided to help them bring their dream to life.
Tracey, who is based at Komatsu’s Welshpool branch in Perth, used her grant to support Marsupial Mamma’s and Papa’s, a volunteer-run organisation that rescues and rehabilitates injured or orphaned marsupials, including kangaroos, wallabies and possums. These volunteers often work around the clock, bottle-feeding joeys, providing medical care and preparing rescued animals for release back into the wild.
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“I’ve always been passionate about supporting wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. When the opportunity came up to apply for a LYD grant, I knew this was the one I wanted to support,” Tracey says.
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The organisation will used Tracey’s LYD grant to purchase specialist equipment such as pouches, formula and enclosures, while also supporting volunteer training and community education.
Wildlife rescue groups like Marsupial Mamma’s and Papa’s, play an increasingly critical role in Western Australia, where vehicle collisions, habitat loss and extreme weather events often leave native animals vulnerable. Each year, hundreds of joeys and injured adults are brought into care and small volunteer groups like this one rely entirely on donations and community support to keep going.
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Tracey hopes her Live Your Dream project will not only provide immediate resources but also help raise awareness about the importance of wildlife rehabilitation. “Every rescued animal is a second chance. If I can help make that possible, even for a few, it’s worth every effort.
“It’s amazing to work somewhere that values initiatives like this and enables their people to give back, so thank you to Komatsu as well for giving me this opportunity.”