Paula & Bridgette Powers with Wedge-tailed Shearwaters |
The so-called
twinnies have had their share of the limelight. A YouTube clip of the
pair in 2015 went viral, attracting three million views. They've
featured regularly in the national media. The siblings dress
identically every day and do everything together. The 44-year-olds
have always shared a bedroom. The first time they were separated was
when Paula had her appendix out as a 16-year-old; Bridgette had her
appendix out three weeks later. They've scarcely been apart since. When their parents,
Helen and John, organised a meeting with identical twin boys in the
hope of sparking twin romances, the sisters weren't interested. They
couldn't bear the thought of sleeping in separate bedrooms. “We
give our love to the wildlife,” they say.
Twinnies & friends |
The capacity of the
siblings to speak and act in unison is mesmerising, until you get the
hang of it. When they talk, it's impossible to know who says what.
They either say the same thing at precisely the same time, even a
full sentence, or their thoughts are so in tune that it doesn't
matter who says what, because one finishes the other's comment. Paula
and Bridgette share 100 per cent of their DNA. If you phone the twins
and ask if you're speaking to Paula or Bridgette, you will be told:
“Yes.” In a study of more than 420 twins at Sydney's Royal North
Shore Hospital, they were considered the most identical pair.
It's the twinnies'
passion for native birds that brings me to their Landsborough rescue
centre. Countless thousands of waterbirds of many
species owe their lives to the tireless devotion of these women and
their parents. “We've loved wild animals since we were this high,”
they say together, each holding a hand at knee height. “Our doctor
says it's in our genes… We would rescue snails from our
grandmother when we were little.”
During my visit,
hundreds of birds of many species are in residence. The reasons for
them being there are many. Chicks fall out of nests, or the parents
of nestlings are killed by cars, cats or dogs. Birds are afflicted by
botulism when chemicals and other pollutants wash into waterways.
Some are tangled in fishing line. Starving seabirds wash up on
beaches; several Wedge-tailed Shearwaters and a Flesh-footed
Shearwater were brought in over the week before my visit.
Wedge-tailed Shearwater & Flesh-footed Shearwater at the centre |
Birds are injured or
orphaned by land-clearing operations which are increasingly rampant
on the Sunshine Coast. A recently hatched clutch of Pacific Black
Ducks is in care after their nesting tree was bulldozed for the Bruce
Highway roadworks a short distance away. The twinnies work closely with the RSPCA and others including Australia Zoo, just down
the road along Steve Irwin Way. The late Steve Irwin was so impressed
with the twins' enthusiasm that he hired them to work at the zoo for
a couple of years before they set their rehabilitation centre up in
2000.
Paula and Bridgette
keep the birds for as long as necessary to ensure their recovery.
“Other places treat a bird with botulism for four days or so then
it gets enthanased,” they say. “We keep them for 8 or 10 weeks or
however long it takes.” They claim a 99 per cent success rate in
treating botulism. The twinnies turn nothing away. They readily admit
to becoming emotionally attached to their charges: “We like to
give everything a go... We hate it when we lose something.” They think nothing of waking at all hours if their charges need special attention.
Forest destruction is rampant around the Sunshine Coast |
As the population of
Australia's tenth largest city continues to explode, the number of
birds being brought to the Twinnies centre is ever rising, and with
them the cost of care and rehabilitation. Fish alone to feed the
birds costs $500 a week. The twinnies' mum, Helen, says it costs
$70,000 a year to run the centre. It gets $10,000 a year from the
Sunshine Coast Council. The rest is paid from the family's pensions and
public donations. “If somebody leaves us a $50 note we're thrilled
because it means we have that little bit extra to get something,”
Helen says.
The 1.8-hectare
property includes a lagoon which attracts large numbers of wild
birds. Many are so tame they wander around the grounds unperturbed by
people. A pair of wild Australian Pelicans nests annually on the dam
- a highly unusual event because these birds usually travel hundreds
of kilometres to nest during periodic flooding events inland.
A wild Great Egret at the centre |
The property costs
$500 a week to rent and the lease expires later this year. Although
they hope to renew it for five years, the future for the rescue
centre is uncertain with the unrelenting pressure on family
finances. The twinnies want one of the big Sunshine Coast real
estate development companies like Stockland to purchase the property,
which has a $500,000 price tag, with the family being allowed to live there while it functions as a wildlife rescue centre.
The family would continue to pay rates and other costs with the
company retaining title. “Maybe a big company like Stockland can
lend a hand by doing something that's really useful for wildlife
instead of just being interested in land development,” Helen says.
The centre was given a $5,000 community grant last year from Stockland's huge Aura residential development at nearby
Caloundra South.
Stockland declined to respond to the suggestion that the company acquire the property but says the family can apply for further community grants, a spokesperson adding: “The Stockland Aura Community Grants Program is issued every two years and groups can apply for funding for amounts up to $50,000. The next grant is scheduled to be available mid-2019 and we encourage local groups to apply for funding through this program.” Readers might want to express a view to Stockland that more could be done to help the centre by emailing the company: geninfo@stockland.com.au.
Feeding time for a young Australasian Darter |
Helen Powers says
the work being done at Twinnies can not be duplicated: “Nobody
wants to look after waterbirds. If it's cute and furry, it'll get
looked after. Or a Wedge-tailed Eagle might get a look in. But not
seabirds.” Twinnies
Pelican and Seabird Rescue is open to the public and well worth a
look. Donations and voluntary help are welcome.
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You girls are amazzzzing.
ReplyDeleteAllthe best to you.