The Surf Coast Wonder Girl

ANGLESEA’S Tahlia Walsh is on a mission to make the world a better place through advocacy for animals, the environment, and her community.

After raising money for Foodbank Australia, successfully campaigning Girl Guides Australia to remove palm oil from their fundraising biscuits and receiving a Fred Hollows Foundation Humanitarian Award in 2018, Walsh has achieved a lot in her activist career.

In the past year, the 15-year-old has taken her passion for the environment to another level, raising money for the Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue to help good friend Jason Cichocki to continue his work rescuing animals.

Walsh begun making high quality gift cards from photos she had taken of her local environment in March 2021 and has so far raised $350 for Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue.

“When I heard about the amazing work of Jason at the Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue, I felt strongly that the community should get behind him financially to enable him to continue his extremely important tireless volunteer work in rescuing animals,” Walsh said.

“I care so much about our environment and our wildlife and want to financially support our rescue volunteers who selflessly work through day and night to make sure that precious animals survive.

“People like Jason at Surf Coast Wildlife rescue donate so much of their time and money to this cause; I want to help him out by raising money for items like his petrol bills.

Without these funds, not all animals requiring help will be reached.”

The current year ten student expressed her gratitude for people buying her $3 cards, noting that people get something tangible for their donation.

“If something small like what I am doing can help Jason and the Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue service, then I want to do all I can to assist him to do his job safely and happily.”

Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue founder Jason Cichocki said he was incredibly proud of the young Anglesea activist for all the hard work she has put in over the last year.

“The support from people like Tahlia has been absolutely massive and it’s so great that through people like her, the community can see the work we do and then be inspired to help out with our volunteer organisation,” Cichocki said.

Cichocki said the funds raised by Tahlia have been put towards putting petrol in cars so that he and his volunteers can in turn go and save animals across the Surf Coast.

He has also been able to purchase wildlife rescue safety vests so all rescuers can be safely seen at night.

“The support from Tahlia makes it much easier for us to get around and certainly lightens the load for all our volunteers,” Cichocki said.

“The Surf Coast is such a large area, and it can certainly get quite expensive travelling around to Apollo Bay, Lorne and back each day.”

A true testament to her generosity and will to help wherever she can, Tahlia also recently cut her very long hair to donate to Wigs for Kids for her 15th birthday.

“I feel like I was put on this planet to help animals, people and the environment, and it brings me so much happiness to help important causes.”

Tahlia hopes to raise another $400 before Christmas and believes that if the community can get behind her and Jason, then a big difference can be made in saving and preserving wildlife across our coast.

The community can support Surf Coast Wildlife Rescue and buy Tahlia’s gift cards at the Anglesea Post Office or alternatively through private message by contacting [email protected]

Cards can be posted at regular Australia Post rates with free delivery by Tahlia within Anglesea.

Tahlia and Jason also extend the opportunity to any local businesses to jump on board and assist by stocking the gift cards.