Luckily, with more than 23 years experience each, Christeen and Paul McLeod know what they're doing when it comes to koalas.

Christeen (pictured) completed an apprenticeship at the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie and from 1993 to 2005 the couple became volunteer koala rescuers for the Manning Valley area.

Ten years ago the McLeod's founded Koalas in Care (KIC), a 24 hour koala rescue service for sick, injured and orphaned koalas, that operates out of Taree.

KIC is a non-profit, registered charity organisation that is entirely run by a team of volunteers, 365 days a year, and has no paid employees. It covers a huge 823,000 hectares ranging from Johns River down to Bulahdelah in the south, and west to Gloucester.

Currently the organisation's volunteer team numbers 16, with Christeen now filling a mentor role to her own apprentice.

Christeen explains that the current amount of volunteers is perfect. "We limit the group because we don't want it to be too big.

"Our aim was to have a small, effective, efficient group, and that's what we've been working with now for 10 years and it seems to work."

Not all the volunteers do hands-on koala work at the care facility. A few of them do the 'trailer-run' of waste to the Bucketts Way Landfill, leaf must be collected, and trees planted.

One area KIC is always looking for more help in is 'tree farm' collaborations with land owners.

The call is out for landowners who have about a hectare they're not utilising, that could be fenced off and set aside for planting of trees which will be harvested for leaf as food for the koalas in care, and ultimately, when the trees get too big to harvest, as habitat trees where they stand.

There are three tree farms already planted, two at Tinonee and one on the outskirts of Wingham. A fourth is in the pipeline, and there is a continuous need to apply for grants to fund the tree farm project.

Leaf collection is in itself a massive job. Paul works a full time job, and four days a week after work spends two to three hours harvesting leaf.

And then there's the core activity of KIC taking care of the animals.

All of this is funded by the generosity of the public in donations and membership fees, and their own fundraising efforts. No recurrent government funding is received on a regular basis, and the organisation is always desperate for funding to help them keep operations up to scratch.

To support your local koala rescue organisation by becoming a member or donating, visit www.koalasincare.org.au.

View an online gallery of photos our photographer took at Koalas in Care at www.manningrivertimes.com.au/story/2969321/how-to-help-local-koalas-story-and-gallery/?cs=1215

julia.driscoll@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Also see:

Koalas hurt, just like us

How to help local koalas