This can be emotionally draining, so when something hilarious happens to give us a good laugh, we really appreciate it.

I thought I would share one such occasion with you. It took place about 18 years ago, when Dallas and I were members of Wingecarribee branch. However it is an event we have never forgotten and a story that we never tire of telling.

We had an adult Brushtail Possum in care for a couple of days while the owners of the house from which he had been removed fixed up their roof so he could not get in again.

There not being any trees in the garden belonging to the original caller, their neighbour kindly offered to have the possum relocated into trees in her garden.

This was not a problem. The problem, when we came to the actual relocation, was the neighbour’s four children. No matter how much we tried, we just could not keep them quiet, or away from the carry cage containing possum. They were positively insufferable, but mother didn’t seem to notice or care. I was tearing my hair out trying to stop poss getting stressed, while Dallas was trying to keep kids off the ladder he was using to put the possum box up in a tree. All the while, Mum stood by, apparently oblivious to the chaos her kids were creating.

Finally (thankfully) it was almost dark and time to actually let poss go. Dallas took him up as far as the possum box, and opened the door of the carry cage, hoping he would dart straight into the box containing lots of yummy stuff for him to eat, and hide there until it was completely dark.

But possum had other ideas. He darted straight past the box and out along a branch, weeing (probably with fright, poor boy) as he went. And who should still be ignoring our requests and jumping up and down making a huge noise under the tree? You got it! The most obnoxious of the kids, who got well and truly wee’d on!

She was not impressed at all, and neither was her Mum, but we were jubilant, although of course we couldn’t show it.

Once we had made sure poss had settled up higher in the tree and appeared to be no worse for the experience, we made our departure, laughing all the way home. Go Poss! We still laugh at times about our “Possum’s Revenge”.

After 27 years of operating our own ‘rescue telephone line’, our branch has now transferred to the WIRES dedicated rescue telephone number of 1300 094 737.

Should you need advice or help with injured or distressed wildlife, please call.