The annual general meeting of the Magnetic Island ALP branch was delayed because of the numerous feeding duties of the secretary, wildlife carer Linda Wootten .
She eventually arrived carrying an animal cage and a young possum in a bag slung about her neck . The tiny possum was introduced as Alom , named after an Israeli backpacker. The story goes that , having just retrieved the possum , whose mother had been a roadkill victim , Linda was driving along with the possum in a bag slung about her neck , to keep it warm , when she saw the backpacker standing by the roadside on the island , looking a bit lost.
She stopped , discovered he wanted to go to The Forts walk in the hope of seeing koalas , and told him to hop in as she was heading in that direction . He introduced himself as Alom , from Israel, working on a cattle station out Hughenden way . Linda asked him to hold the bag , and told him the sad story about the possum he was now nursing .
As he had never seen a possum before , he was fascinated . Linda made the experience doubly memorable by there and then dubbing the wriggling creature Alom , which impressed the well spoken young man. Imagine the story he will have to tell when he gets back to Israel about the woman he met with a possum down her front , which she named after him .
This ripping yarn explains why Linda arrived with an Israeli possum. It came complete with a tiny feeding bottle, which this blogger had to warm .
Mind you, it is not unusual for Linda to make a spectacular entrance at an ALP meeting carrying a cage with a creature from her extensive menagerie . On one occasion , a droopy looking, but lucky , bird , below , was brought along and fed raspberries during proceedings .
At another , a young wallaby interrupted talks designed to hasten arrival of the revolution in the nation when it was cuddled and passed about by adoring , paid up , female ALP members.
Recently Linda was kept busy applying ointment to the eye of a struggling, large wallaby every two hours , and received an emergency call at 1am to rescue a wallaby entangled in a wire fence .
