THERESA MATTHEWS: Because of our love for kangaroos, we just opened up our home to them
and this rescuing got bigger and got bigger.
COMM: You might be surprised to see what’s hopping around this suburban home.
COMM: Kangaroo rescuers Theresa and Tony dedicated their life to rehabilitating orphaned wildlife.
TONY MATTHEWS: A chap pulled up at the front fence and said: ‘Do you look after wildlife?’
and I said, ‘Why? And he said, ‘I have got a kangaroo in the car.’ And that’s
how it started. That was our first kangaroo and his name was Bobby.
THERESA MATTHEWS: We realised that there was no one here for these joeys and they were
being euthanized. Not because there was anything wrong with them but just nowhere to go.
THERESA MATTHEWS: You alright? You finished? That’s not even your bed.
TONY MATTHEWS: Mainly, we take on great eastern grey kangaroos, they’re the only ones down
here and also the swamp wallaby which is right here beside me now.
THERESA MATTHEWS: He is coming, you’re coming? Come on, pop-pods. Come on, come on!
COMM: With a constant stream of animals, their home is far from ordinary.
THERESA MATTHEWS: They’ve all got different personalities and to me everyone looks different.
THERESA MATTHEWS: Currently at the moment, we have 17 eastern greys and we have three
swamp wallabies and we have one pygmy possum and one husband.
THERESA MATTHEWS: I’ve woken up with one on my head. Actually lucky, the swamp wallaby
that’s here, he has done that quite a few times and he’s weed on me - on my head.
THERESA MATTHEWS: This one is Spud and yeah, he is a cuddly one. Beverly’s mother was
hit by a car and she was in her pouch and when, after the mother was hit, she crawled
to a fence and tried to get under it but it got stuck. So, Beverly had a big gash on
her face so that’s what that black line is there.
THERESA MATTHEWS: They love apples, almonds, sweet potatoes, my fruit
trees and my flowers.
TONY MATTHEWS: And grass.
THERESA MATTHEWS: And grass.
THERESA MATTHEWS: This is Willow. Willow is about eight months old. She come in, she was
not fed, she had no fluff, so she just loves smooches. If she could live in your back pocket, she would.
THERESA MATTHEWS: Daisy, she is a terror, aren't you.
THERESA MATTHEWS: So, they are all, some are very quick as you can see and some are very
slow. Our goal with the kangaroos is its rehabilitation and release.
THERESA MATTHEWS: It’s hard to say goodbye and I always cry all the way home but you
know it’s about them not us. So, we have done our job so we’ve got to let them go.
BRIANNA GARE: One thing that I wish people know about kangaroos is that they are incredibly
delicate and they are very, very important to Australia but they can’t do it alone.
People like Theresa and Tony who are spending all their money, all their time, you know,
all their resources to do it and I wish people would pay more attention to it and really
value because they’re keeping it going and they’re keeping it alive.
COMM: As their rescue work has grown over the years, Theresa and Tony are now trying
to raise enough money to move their centre to a larger location.
THERESA MATTHEWS: Now, the phone rings everyday. There’s rescues everyday. We do what we
can. They have become our life now but they’re worth every minute and penny.
THERESA MATTHEWS: The love and trust is amazing. Oh, you love that don’t you. You do love that.
THERESA MATTHEWS: And it’s hard to explain, isn’t it?
TONY MATTHEWS: Yeah.
THERESA MATTHEWS: You just, it just, they feel like your children. They, yeah, they
hug you back, you know, and they really love you.