Presumably, not everyone supports the idea of a nature reserve on Flinders island. There's a lot of wild land there. A lot of critters. There's conservation covenants, Land for Wildlife and PAPL. But back in 1977, when Derek Smith, his friends, and a whole bunch of Flinders islanders, decided to create a Private nature reserve, it was a pretty unique idea. 

At the heart of that decision was the belief that Flinders Island Nature was special and worth preserving. Not all of it could be. Not all it can be. But a small corner, a pinch really, would be. By hook or by crook, it would be done. And it was.

And in the typical Flinders way, a bunch of hard working, unheralded volunteers kept that belief in their hearts for the next 50+ years, and kept the gates open. Kids visited and fed the wallabies. Campers came and stayed, out there at the end of Lees Road, far from anything. The place became a much loved part of the furniture for locals, and a must see for visitors.

But in 2026, times are tough. There's rules, regulations and paperwork galore. Dollars are needed and dollars are hard to come by. Volunteers got old (Ok, older, but still young). So the Patriarchs Wildlife Sanctuary Trust became Patriarchs Wildlife Sanctuary Inc. It's all setup so that beyond the mortal years of the founders, of you, of me and everyone reading this, there's a chance the Sanctuary can go on. A chance. Don't worry, there's rules written into the regs for what happens if it becomes financially unviable and the gates close forever. But we need to get the Sanctuary into a financial position where we can fall asleep at night confident that the kids of our grandkids will be able to still visit the place we visit, camp where we camp, and feed the great x40 grandjoeys of the wallies we feed. 

That's why we need members. It's not the $10. It's numbers to show the council. The government. The movers, shakers and ones with the bank PIN. Whoever might help us keep Derek's dream alive.