Community
19 September, 2025
Koalas ramp up campaign
MOVE over the orange kelpie – the CFA koala is about to take your place.
When driving around the district in the lead up to the last state election, motorists couldn’t help but notice bright orange kelpie cut-outs adorning fences and homes.
Now Grassmere CFA captain and proud leader of the #scrapthetax movement, John Houston, is hoping farmers, residents and businesses will purchase a ‘koala’ and put them on display right across the district in a visual show of support.
“We’re hoping this little friendly koala will be as widely seen across the district, and across the state, as the much-talked-about orange kelpie was during the lead up to the last election,” John said.
“We’re hoping to flood the area with these little fellas.
“The emergency services levy is something that affects us all, not just CFA volunteers, not just farmers, but everyone, one way or another – and with council rates notices now out (which include this levy) it will be hitting home and hitting hard.
“We will continue lobbying the state government until a decision is made to scrap the tax or until the next election; whichever comes first.”
A rally in Bendigo last weekend once again attracted a large number of participants.
“We’re fighting for fairness and equality and we need some financial support to continue this fight, to cover things such as insurance costs. We’re not about making money, we’re about making sure we are all heard and that we get our message across loud and clear.”
Already several hundred koalas have made their way to farms, businesses and homes across the state and John is hoping Warrnambool and surrounding towns will also show their support.
“The koalas are available from either myself or Leigh Harry for just $25 each,” John said.
“We’re now working on establishing various distribution points but in the meantime people can give us a call to arrange collection.”
John Houston can be contacted on 0438 654 244 or Leigh Harry 0429 302 056.
