Hello Koala Lovers,
In the year 2000, I had the privilege of meeting Supreme Court Justice Ms. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (or RBG as she is known) and she had a profound effect on me as a woman and also as a professional. She was ill at the time but still gave a mighty presentation and the key message she gave was “to trust the jury.”
At the time, I was frustrated by this simple comment because I had already been in my job for about 12 years and I did not trust anyone in political life or in the business world. I had good reason too, as I watched thousands and thousands of Koalas die because of rampant development which was actually miniscule compared to now.
It was with great sadness that I saw she had passed away this weekend and of course that has caused political furore in the United States. She will be sadly missed. It will be very difficult to replace her, but her fierce and dedicated spirit will not be lost to history. So many have benefitted from her wisdom and her brave and courageous decisions; men and women alike.
Over time, however, I came to realise that her love of justice via the legal system was and must be respected. This is what makes our democracy so strong, and yes, I have come to trust the people (not the politicians I might add) because I know that pretty much all the people love the Koala and would do nothing to harm any of them. It is why we started the Koala Army; Urban and his crew speak out for the Koala whenever they can.
And I suppose, RBG is why I became absolutely committed to new laws; the Koala Protection Act (KPA) and I now hang, like a groupie, around any lawyers who will share their knowledge with me and I am confident that the KPA will work for the Koala and its trees.
I am going to have a plaque engraved for RBG to hang at Quinlans and I will hang it where I can see it every visit. She will never know what impact she had on me, but the films and documentaries that have highlighted her incredible achievements must have made her proud, even though she seemed such a humble person. But boy of boy, what a woman!
So, all of us Koala lovers, we must be like RBG – staying strong until the end and ensuring that wisdom and goodness rules the day.
It is Save the Koala Day on Friday and I would like you to check out our Facebook at 9am. Lovely surprises for you then!
And raise a glass to RBG – in her own way she has helped me to protect the Koala and its long-term future.
Fondest regards,
Deborah