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ABOUT STBF

Save The Bilby Fund

1999

Charity Launched

700

Bilbies behind the fence

10,000

Bilbies by 2030

  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Passion
  • Commitment
  • Transparency
MEET OUR SUPPORTERS

The Fund

Save the Bilby Fund is a national charity launched on 28 March 1999 by the late Frank Manthey OAM and the late scientist Peter McRae to raise the money to build the fence in an effort to stop the steady decline of bilby numbers.

Meet our Co-Founders

Our Vision

Our vision is to save the bilby from extinction in our lifetime.

We breed and release captive bilbies to a sanctuary surrounded by a predator exclusion fence in Currawinya National Park to build the population of free-living bilbies. The Fund’s focus is to help build an insurance population of 10,000 bilbies in Australia by 2030.

FUND ALLOCATION

Where donations go

The Save the Bilby Fund is an Australian registered charity that receives no recurrent government funding. We are reliant on the support and generosity of supporters to achieve our vision and are incredibly grateful for every gift, large or small. We understand your expectation that funds should be spent directly on our work which is why we operate as a tiny team who all work part-time from home or in the field to minimise expenditure.
  • Our CEO, Kevin Bradley, is Chair of the Greater Bilby Recovery Team
  • Monitoring the predator exclusion fence at Currawinya National Park
  • Building the population of bilbies behind the fence to around 400
  • Breeding genetically diverse bilbies for release in Currawinya and other similar sanctuaries across Australia
  • Enabling critical bilby research
  • The Charleville Bilby Experience

Our Team

Meet The Team

Kevin
Bradley

CEO, Bilby Researcher

Kev joined Save the Bilby Fund in 2002 and has been its CEO since 2014.

Immediately before his current role, Kev was the former Director of Veterinary Services and Animal Operations with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Queensland. His primary responsibilities included strategic planning and operational and administrative management of animal and veterinary operations for the RSPCA statewide.

Kev has made significant contributions to improving captive animal care and welfare as well as wildlife conservation outcomes through a well-respected career in the Zoological Industry spanning 30 years. He is the current Chair of the Greater Bilby National Recovery Team and a member of the Greater Bilby Meta-population Management Sub-Committee.

  • Current Chair Greater Bilby National Recovery Team (2015- Current)
  • Greater Bilby Meta-population Management Sub-Committee Member (2015-Current)
  • Director- Center for Animal Welfare and Ethics (CAWE) University of Queensland (2012-Current)
    Director of Veterinary Services and Animal Operations, RSPCA Queensland.
  • Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee member, RSPCA Queensland.
  • Former Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Life Sciences Dreamworld/Whitewater World, Gold Coast, Australia.
  • Past President: Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria, Queensland Branch (ARAZPAQ).
  • Board Member: Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA).
  • Founding Chairman: ARAZPA Accreditation Committee.
  • Appointed Representative to the Recreational and Commercial Animal Management Advisory Committee (RACAMAC) to the Minister for the Environment Queensland (2003–2007).
  • Zoological Industry Representative: Rural Industry Training Advisory Council, advising State and Federal Government training priorities.
  • Representative of the Animal Care and Management Working Group to develop a qualification framework for the Captive and related Animal Care Sectors.
  • Board member: National Industry Steering Committee for the Animal Care and Management Training Package.
  • Representative of the captive animal sector/ Animal Care and Management Training Package 2003/ 2004. Course development – implementation and endorsement.
  • Convenor: National Zookeeper Education Working Group.
  • Committee Member: Course Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) for Cert III in Native Animal Rehabilitation.

Sara
Mansfield

Fundraising Manager

Sara, originally from the UK, lives in Brisbane and has been working part-time with the Save the Bilby Fund since late 2018.

Sara is working to ensure that the fund has enough income to carry out the steps needed to save the bilby. We have lost more income streams than we could brook, and so we have had to quickly use her expertise in fundraising to plug the gaps.

A fundraising all-rounder, Sara is super pragmatic and determined for Save The Bilby Fund to achieve sustainable growth on a shoestring.

Dr Cassandra Arkinstall PhD

Bilby Researcher

Cass (left) and Kev holding a Bilby

Cass undertook her PhD at The University of Queensland researching the Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis). Cass’s research is in collaboration with Save the Bilby Fund and Arid Recovery, where she is investigating the home range and movements of reintroduced bilby populations. Cass is tracking bilbies in fenced reserves at Currawinya National Park in southwest Queensland’s mulga lands and in the arid zone in South Australia, using novel, lightweight GPS logging devices. This research aims to investigate the effects of climatic zones and bilby density on home range size and movements to better understand the spatial ecology and requirements of reintroduced bilby populations in fenced reserves.

Beck
Kuhnert

Fundraising Support

Beck (pictured above with her work from home assitants Millie and Heather) works in Supporter Care alongside Sara, our Head of Fundraising.

Drawing on her background in Australian premium fashion and retail, tailoring, and customer service, she brings a practical, people-focused approach. She looks after the phones, social media, website updates, and bilby-themed Gift Shop merchandise.

Her love of bilbies began with a childhood win in a bilby colouring-in competition, and that early connection has stayed strong ever since. A lifelong love of animals, together with a keen attention to detail, helps shape the care and consistency behind the work at Save the Bilby Fund and the way the bilby story is shared with supporters.

GET IN TOUCH

Board Members

Meet The Board

Paul
Campbell

Director

Paul has been a director of Save the Bilby Fund since 2010 and helped implement their ‘Bilby Tracks’ citizen science trips to outback Queensland.

Rachel Greenfield

Director

Rachel has been involved with Save the Bilby Fund from the early days of the fund and has been a board director since 2015.

Tim
Krause

Director

Board director since 2012.

Al
Mucci

Director

Involved with Save the Bilby Fund for over 17 years.

OUR PATRON

Dawn Fraser

AC. MBE. OLY.

Dawn Fraser is a proud patron of Save the Bilby Fund, lending her support to help protect one of Australia’s most iconic and endangered native species. Her advocacy helps raise awareness of bilby conservation and the importance of safeguarding Australia’s wildlife for future generations.

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