Celeste
Late September to Early November
As we enter our eleventh month as a wildlife shelter, Tiny but Wild, in tandem with our art, things have become decidedly possum-y, with Celeste unexpectedly returning in the large indoor enclosure on the front table; the joeys, Rose, Ginni, Constance, and Harry in the smaller enclosure, a pile of to-do binding nearby; Hickory, for a spell; and a trio of growing Berries, who will now be residing with us, since Juniper decided we’d do for a boarding school-cum-house.
Celeste of the heavens came into care on the 2nd of April from Mount Waverley. She weighed 98g upon arrival, and was the first of a planned quartet soon joined by Linus, Sylvie, and Lute. Linus, Sylvie, and Lute were all recently released from our soft-release enclosure on private property, with the teamwork of Koala Clancy’s Janine, Gloria and Peter, however, this had not been the plan. The quartet became a trio, two nights prior to taking them to Staughton Vale, in the most graphic way when Celeste was cast out of the group.
On the 26th of September, we found her in the second nesting box, her head bloody and her face already beginning to swell. Somewhere between tucking them up at night and opening the enclosure in the morning to clean it and give them fresh browse and water, Celeste had been injured.
Though shocking the discovery, and terrifying for Celeste, luckily, her injuries were not fatal. She was seen by the Wildlife Victoria vets who gave her antibiotics, Meloxicam, Tramadol, and two different types of eyedrops. Initially, with the swelling, it was hard to see her big, bright eyes. But she remained her calm and beautiful self as we cleaned her wound twice daily, and applied Solosite, a soothing and healing gel for burns and cuts, to the open areas, and in the initial weeks, administered eyedrops and medicine orally. To allow the gel to soak in, before she tucked up in her pouch, we would often feed her a grevillea treat, like you can see here. She had a total of five @wildlifevictoria vet visits, to check on her progress, and for the first week she was very, very close to not making it.
84 wound cleans later, and Celeste now looks closer to her former self, and with that, closer to her soft-release. She will be soft-released at a different part of the property to Linus, Sylvie, and Lute, who, since finding their nimble legs full of spring, have been absorbed back into the wild. Our last sightings of them recorded on the trail cam by the enclosure showed them inquisitive, comfortable, playing, and capable. Now it will be Celeste’s turn to follow suit, and be a wild one.
We’re elated for her; she made it! Here's to her enjoying leaves 'off the tree' instead of in a vase.
Each day, she continues to get better. Her wound, since writing this, is concealed by long tufts of fur, as if it is growing and fluffing right before our eyes. The fur around her eye sockets looks as it ever did, concealing the fragile blue-tinged skin, and rounding out the proportions of her incredible face. Telltale traces are disappearing not just in the physical sense, but in her temperament too. She is feeling less patient and more wild and healed by the day. As we need to handle her, in her pouch, less, she is also reverting to those hardwired ways, and this is encouraging as, with her soft-release around the corner, we want to help her be as ready as possible. All fast response leap and hold still freeze. Ready to bolt or hide from predators. Alert, 24/7.
This is true of all the nocturnal animals in our care, as we chiefly know them in their daytime guise. Sometimes, we see them late at night, whether for early days support feeds through the night or administering medication before our bedtime, but we try, also, to give them their space, their peace and quiet. It is fascinating to see Team ‘Nocci’ when they are ‘on’, to feel the energy shift in the room. The alertness, the action, at night, it is so different in mood to the day, when we effectively rouse them from slumber, the possums in particular. It is charged! No matter how much we might feel we are night owls, our body clocks are wired differently. We run on a more muted time.
And what of the Berries? We’ve adopted Juniper’s trio, and named them Bill, Bob, and Betty Berry. They are a tight trip of joeys, with peach tufts, and it will be interesting getting to know them over the summer. They’re all of varying size, and Bill is the most timid of the group, so far, but it is early days.
Further around the room, Hickory, so named for his Tiny but Wild spell, a 169g joey, who was initially brought into care at the Johnston Street Vet, and needed a temporary place to stay while he waited for a carer. Since taking on the Berries, and also Celeste’s extended stay (meaning we now need to run an additional two soft-releases, in mid November for Celeste, and March, 2025 for the Berries, after Rose, Ginni, Constance, and Harry) we, sadly, don’t have the room to take him into permanent care, to care for him until he, too, is ready for soft-release. But we can keep him warm, cosy, until a place is found for him. The bright lights, strange sounds, and smells of dogs and cats is not the most relaxing of places for a little joey.
Eleven months in, quite possum-y, yes. Pass the plumbago.
Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison, 2024 commission for Genesis Baroque, Genesis Chamber Series
Coming up! Genesis Baroque’s Fête Champêtre at Babbington Park in Lyonville, for which we created the artwork for.
“The fête champêtre was a style of garden party adored by 18th Century French aristocracy and the popular at the Gardens of Versailles. Parties would incorporate feasts and music, with musicians performing in lavishly prepared pastoral settings and palace gardens to entertain and accompany dancing. This program celebrates the fête champêtre with the musette, small French baroque bagpipes that were highly fashionable at the time, particularly in pastoral settings.”
Last days! Restoring corridors, is currently on display at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, as part of the 2024 National Works on Paper exhibition.
2024 National Works on Paper
Until Sunday 24th November, 2024
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
Civic Reserve, Dunns Road, Mornington, Victoria
11am–4pm, Tuesday–Sunday
(Closed public holidays)
Vote for your favourite work in the 2024 National Works on Paper People’s Choice Award
Image credit: Detail of Universe with earth, sun, moon and stars etching by Caspar Luyken, 1712
