In the April 2025 school holidays, the Oatlands Community Hub organised a trip to Zoodoo for 40 children and their families.

The day was full of adventure: feeding kangaroos, watching lions, playing on the playground, and laughing at the meerkats.
 

At the end of our tour, we visited the interactive bird aviary. Inside the aviary you can hold trays with bird food and the birds come to sit on your feeder or on you. It was everyone’s highlight of the day.

The parent supervisor looked at me and said “This place feels like heaven to me. Can I stay here forever?” While she had a cockatiel happily sitting on her head, her face was beaming.

A week later, this mother had the courage to announce that she had been living with neglect and a coercive controlling partner for 20 years. The police and lots of supportive services have joined together to help this family. Including the Uniting Family Support Worker, who utilises the Hub for appointments. Hobart City Mission has supported this family through this crisis with ER, food relief and Mission Money.

I’m not sure if being in that aviary or having the opportunity to experience something positive with her children gave her the courage to speak out or not but it was magic to give her a slice of heaven for a short while.

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