Caring for Country: Iona College's Koala Fodder Farm Reaches Major Milestone
Iona College has celebrated an important milestone in its Koala Fodder Farm project, with the first coppicing of more than 500 eucalyptus trees grown on campus to support koala rehabilitation across southeast Queensland.
The Iona Fodder Farm was established nearly four years ago through a partnership between Iona College and the Queensland Koala Society, and Iona is proud to announce that the world-famous Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary has now also come on board as a project partner.
The initiative was inspired by the devastating floods that destroyed many local fodder plantations and left wildlife carers facing a shortage of eucalyptus leaves needed to feed koalas in care.
Long-time Ionian and environmental advocate Leann Holmes recognised the need for action. Passionate about conservation and dedicated to the Iona community, she saw an opportunity to bring those two passions together through a project that would deliver a lasting benefit to local wildlife.
Leann approached the then-Rector of Iona College, Fr Michael Twigg OMI, with the idea of establishing a koala fodder plantation on College land.
Recognising the importance of supporting wildlife carers and responding to a genuine community need, Fr Michael and Iona provided the use of the land, enabling the partnership to begin.
Reflecting on the journey, Leann said the project demonstrates what can be achieved when community organisations work together for a common purpose.
"The floods highlighted just how vulnerable wildlife carers can be when local fodder supplies are lost, she said. “This project brought together people who care deeply about the environment and were willing to contribute something practical and lasting. To see it now reaching this stage is incredibly rewarding."
It is not often that the sound of chainsaws and falling trees causes an emotional celebration amongst environmental conservationists.
But the first harvesting of leaves from the Iona Fodder Farm did just that, leading to tears of joy as the first leaves were packed to begin their journey to support koalas in care – a major milestone in a project based on partnership, vision and community action.
The pruning process encourages fresh growth and creates a sustainable supply of leaves for koalas recovering from injury, illness and displacement. For the College community, it marks the culmination of years of planning, partnership and care.
The project is a practical expression of Iona's Oblate commitment to serving the community and caring for creation. It demonstrates how education, service and environmental stewardship can come together to create meaningful change.
Acting Principal Adam McPhee said the project reflects Iona's long-standing commitment to serving the local community.
"For almost 70 years, Iona College has existed to serve our community. This partnership demonstrates how we can make a meaningful contribution to both people and the environment."
"Every day, our students see a practical example of environmental stewardship in action. It reminds us all that caring for creation is a shared responsibility and an important part of who we are as a Catholic College."
Sarah Eccleston, a Koala Conservation Specialist at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, said the partnership with Iona College was ‘incredibly important’ for conservation efforts across southeast Queensland.
“The fodder farm at Iona College is an absolutely brilliant initiative, and we really would love to see other schools take part in this sort of thing,” she said. “It's incredibly important for conservation moving forward that we have these places where we can get this food to secure our koalas for the future.
“We were so excited to get a phone call to say ‘look, we've got some trees. There are 500 trees here that are ready to go, they've been in the ground, they're growing strong. They need someone to eat them!
“We were so pleased, and when we first came up to visit a few months back, we were very excited to get back and get those chainsaws going and bring some of these trees down for the koalas.
“We are not cutting them to destroy them. We're actually cutting them to create food for the future.”
Angela Christodoulou, the Co-Founder of the Queensland Koala Society, admitted it was a very emotional experience seeing the Iona Fodder farm harvested four years after helping to plant the seedlings alongside Iona students.
“(The loss of koala habitat) is not going to get any better. We will be feeding koalas for years and years and years to come, so (the Iona fodder Farm) is very exciting,” she said.
“I can't explain how important it is. (The koalas) get to go back into the wild because they've been fed so well from trees from here that we've planted, Iona's planted.
“It's all just come full circle, so I think that factor is significant, very important.”
