Deborah Tabart OAM: Commander in Chief
The Commander in Chief of the Koala Army is proud to work with Urban on his campaign for the Koala Army’s Creatures Great and Small March in Canberra on September 1, 2024.
She is proud of what the Koala Army has achieved to date and our numbers swell each year.
Urban: Koala Army Private
First appearing in 2008, Urban, a charismatic Koala with a remarkable ability to talk to humans and animals, is the voice for all Creatures Great and Small. Witnessing the devastation of his home, he embarked on his hero’s journey to protect his fellow Koalas.
Inspired by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act in the United States, Urban joined the Koala Army to advocate for the Koala Protection Act in Australia. Guided by a belief in human kindness, he uses his voice not to condemn but to inspire a harmonious future between humans and nature. In 2024, Urban made the transition to animation, helping his voice and message reach all corners of Australia and the world.
Paulette Oldfield: Five-Star General
The Koala Army’s Five-Star General, Paulette Oldfield has worked along side the Australian Koala Foundation and her Commander in Chief, Deborah Tabart OAM since 2008 and has been involved in many activities related to the protection of the Koala. From organising the Koala March through the streets of Brisbane in 2009 where thousands of people came to voice their concerns about the future of the Koala, to being a part of the Senate Enquiry into the status, health and sustainability of the Koala in Australia, the Five-Star General is committed to supporting the activities of the Koala Army’s March for Creatures Great and Small on September 1st 2024, in Canberra. The Five-Star General is passionate about the bush and protecting Australia’s vibrant and diverse native animals which includes the Koala, and committed to seeing the Koala Protection Act put in place that will have the power to save all the animals of the bush.
For questions about the March, or how you can be further involved, contact the Koala Army’s Five-Star General:
Jon-Michael Mooney
Jon-Michael is an accomplished filmmaker, storyteller and TV producer whose deep love for Koalas was ignited while working with them in 2006. Over the past 15 years, his dynamic career in film and television has included producing and directing series for Disney, channel 10, SBS, Fox 8 and Channel 5 in Singapore, as well as editing and animating for Nickelodeon, Foxtel, Channel 9 and many others. JM directed a feature-length documentary that was screened in 13 countries, including at the American Documentary Film Festival and the Transitions Film Festival, with a shorter version showcased at the Cannes Film Festival. His portfolio encompasses feature films, documentaries, TV series, and high-end commercials for major brands such as Bonds, Oral B, Nintendo, Samsung, Big W, Eb Games and Subaru. JM has collaborated with renowned talents from interviewing world class directors like Quentin Tarantino to working with Michelin star chefs like Heston Blumenthal and Tetsuya Wakuda as well as Aussie talent like Danny Clayton, Erin Mc Naught and Andrew Daddo. Leveraging his creativity and versatile skill set, Jon-Michael is now focused on conservation efforts to help save the Koala and bringing Urban to life.
Dave Mitchell PhD
The Koala Army’s Major Major Major (reference to Catch 22), Dave Mitchell PhD, has been an integral part of the Australian Koala Foundation since 1996 when he joined to begin producing the AKF’s flagship strategy document, the Koala Habitat Atlas, which covers the entire geographic range of the Koala (1.5 million square kilometres), the largest habitat map in the world. Dave began mapping and surveying in 1978, so he knows where things are. As the AKF’s Landscape Ecologist, he knows, when it comes to Koalas, why things are where they are! Much of his work has been supporting community groups to prevent developments affecting Koalas, and after 28 years, he thinks that the Koala Protection Act is the way to go. He will be marching proudly to support the Koala Protection Act in Canberra on September 1st 2024.
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