TWO Dunsborough schoolgirls who celebrated their twelfth birthday together used their party to raise money For Australian Wildlife Needing Aid instead of receiving presents from their guests.
Best friends Tia Hegarty and Grace Green wanted to have a birthday party together before Grace moved to New Zealand later this year.
For their final hoorah the BFFs threw a birthday bash at the Yallingup Hall and asked their friends for a cash donation to give to FAWNA.
FAWNA are a volunteer group that help rescue injured and abandoned wildlife with much of their focus in Busselton and Dunsborough on saving the Western Ringtail Possums.
The girls said they had attended a workshop with FAWNA because they love animals and wanted to help save the possums.
"We were having a disco birthday party with 37 people and instead of having presents we thought we could have a fundraiser instead," they said.
"We raised $565.60.
"We can't believe we raised so much money through our party and we can't believe everyone helped us do that.
"We just love animals and we didn't realise how many possums needed rescuing and how much work goes into looking after them."
FAWNA volunteer Jeff Falconer said they were thrilled at what the girls did and for choosing their organisation.
"We are getting far more deaths and orphans coming because there isn't the habitat to sustain the Western Ringtail population," he said.
"It is really up to the government to put some money in to help preserve the Western Ringtail Possums FAWNA as a volunteer group can only do so much.
"We are all volunteers there really needs to be action before it gets too late."
Mr Falconer said population growth and urban development in Busselton meant the possum's natural habitat was being destroyed.
He said while the council were revegetating peppermint trees it would be another 20 years before they would be big enough to support the possums.
"The possums will be all gone by then," he said.
