The Commonwealth Government has now escaped direct and any indirect support for volunteer programs on K’gari (Fraser Island).

Fraser Island Defenders Organisation (FIDO) was heavily reliant on this support for over a dozen years, but when it abruptly stopped on 30 June 2018, FIDO lost more than $6,000 on the four working bees scheduled to be conducted between July and November 2018.

FIDO has been in a dilemma about how they can continue because the weeds won’t stop growing and spreading without the management FIDO volunteers have been effectively providing.  FIDO has now needed to make some major adjustments to how they can afford to continue the program.

Because of the generous donations of accommodation at “Talinga” by FIDO members and supporters they are planning to carry out three working bees at Eurong in 2019, but alas without other support their Happy Valley activities will be reduced to just one Easter Cassia Blitz at the end of April that has already been filled by a long queue of volunteers who have previously worked at Happy Valley.

To meet the costs of these programs FIDO has sadly needed to resort to increasing their charge to volunteers to $300 for the week-long activities to meet the costs of accommodation, food and transport. Without this, their programs are now unsustainable.

Article submitted by Fraser Island Defenders Organisation