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gemfyreWhen I was a kid my love of animals and all things nature was stoked by watching the documentaries of David Attenborough - a name everyone knows - and Malcolm Douglas - Australia's original Crocodile Hunter, who was doing his thing about 30 years before Steve Irwin came on the scene.
This morning Malcolm crashed his 4WD into a tree at his new wilderness park at 10 Mile (so called because it's 10 Miles out of Broome proper) and died. He was probably dodging an Agile Wallaby, those things come out of nowhere.
For some reason I passed up the opportunity to visit the Wilderness Park and meet Malcolm in 2005 when I worked in Broome. Back then the park hadn't yet officially opened. I can't recall exactly why I didn't go, I think I needed to do something in town instead. If there had been two of me one of me certainly would have been there.
I actually got to speak to him a few months ago on the phone. The whole thing left me giddy and giggly. This was a bloke who had been a huge influence on my life, and here he was asking ME for advice on keeping and handling Bilbies and Boodies and Mala. He said next time he was in Perth we should "go and have a coffee and a chat". He scolded me for NOT visiting the park in 2005. He strongly implied that there may be a position for me in 2011 so I'd better keep in touch. I planned to call again around November/December.
I still will call. I don't know who I'll be speaking with. If luck is with me I'll be moving back to the tropics and doing the hard slog looking after animals and telling whoever will listen about them.
I won't ever get to meet Malcolm in the flesh. It's sad. But I'd like to think a wallaby is still alive and hopping as a trade-off. I'm pretty sure Malcolm would too.
This morning Malcolm crashed his 4WD into a tree at his new wilderness park at 10 Mile (so called because it's 10 Miles out of Broome proper) and died. He was probably dodging an Agile Wallaby, those things come out of nowhere.
For some reason I passed up the opportunity to visit the Wilderness Park and meet Malcolm in 2005 when I worked in Broome. Back then the park hadn't yet officially opened. I can't recall exactly why I didn't go, I think I needed to do something in town instead. If there had been two of me one of me certainly would have been there.
I actually got to speak to him a few months ago on the phone. The whole thing left me giddy and giggly. This was a bloke who had been a huge influence on my life, and here he was asking ME for advice on keeping and handling Bilbies and Boodies and Mala. He said next time he was in Perth we should "go and have a coffee and a chat". He scolded me for NOT visiting the park in 2005. He strongly implied that there may be a position for me in 2011 so I'd better keep in touch. I planned to call again around November/December.
I still will call. I don't know who I'll be speaking with. If luck is with me I'll be moving back to the tropics and doing the hard slog looking after animals and telling whoever will listen about them.
I won't ever get to meet Malcolm in the flesh. It's sad. But I'd like to think a wallaby is still alive and hopping as a trade-off. I'm pretty sure Malcolm would too.
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no subject
Date: 2010-09-23 09:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-23 09:39 am (UTC)Very sad. He was a great man...
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Date: 2010-09-23 12:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-23 02:06 pm (UTC)At least you'll always have fond memories of that phone conversation.
Here's hoping you do get that position. :)
*hugs*
-§parky
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Date: 2010-09-23 02:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-24 12:50 am (UTC)Vaya con dios, Malcolm.