GemLife is proud to sponsor the 2021 GemLife Gold Coast Beach Parade, a special event that celebrates Queensland’s famous beach culture while raising important funds for Currumbin Wildlife Hospital to help care for koalas and other native wildlife.
The Gold Coast Beach Parade promises to be a fun, colourful family event which aims to set a record for the largest number of participants wearing koala-ear visors and beachwear who complete a 3-kilometre parade route.
GemLife General Manager Ben Livingstone said koalas were Australia’s most beloved and iconic animals with deep cultural and ecological importance.
“My family and I love koalas – they’re part of the national identity. As a vulnerable species, it’s so important to do whatever we can to help protect them. That’s why we’ll be joining in the Gold Coast Beach Parade to help raise money for the fantastic work done at the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital,” he said.
“I call on all the koala lovers out there to get behind this terrific family-friendly community event and join the parade.”
The koala is listed as a vulnerable species in Queensland under the State Government Nature Conservation Act 1992 and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. In Southeast Queensland (SEQ), koala populations are nationally significant, with the Gold Coast containing notable populations across reserves managed by local and state government, large rural properties and throughout the eastern urban extent of the city.
The parade will take place on Burleigh Beach opposite Justins Park, just north of the Mowbray Park Surf Life Saving Club. Participants will walk down the beach in single file to North Burleigh Surf Life Saving Club, turning at the checkpoint, and return along the beachfront to Burleigh and be counted as they enter the main stage area.
About Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation
Created to secure the future of Australia’s wildlife, the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation directly funds Currumbin Wildlife Hospital and its vital work treating, rehabilitating and releasing sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife. One of the busiest wildlife hospitals in the world, admitting 14,000 animals a year, the hospital’s services are provided free of charge to the community. The skilled and experienced veterinary team, supported by volunteers, prides itself on providing the highest level of veterinary care.