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It's hard to believe that a mangy wombat would be the catalyst for a revolutionary local movement.
But when Peter Lewis met wildlife rescuer John Creighton, who came to pull the poor marsupial from under Peter's house, it sparked a friendship that has grown into a bold vision for the south-east of NSW.
John and Peter - who has worked in business and philanthropy for more than 20 years - have joined forces to initiate the Southern Highlands Wildlife Sanctuary (SHWS) in Bundanoon, which will create education programs and research into koala health and conservation.
The sanctuary will build on John's work with wombats and other threatened wildlife, with the eventual aim of reintroducing koalas into Morton National Park - which covers about 200,000 hectares from the Highlands down towards Ulladulla.
John, who has worked to protect wildlife in the region for more than a decade, recalls witnessing the large destruction of native wildlife and habitat during the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20.
"I was working through those long nights, and I saw the devastation," he said.
Many areas of bushland are still recovering from the fires, according to John, but both he and Peter agree that the real dangers to koalas have existed for much longer.
The once-booming koala fur trade (banned in the early 1900s) and extensive land clearing and development have significantly reduced koala populations and native habitat.
"Before that, there are records of interactions with koalas everywhere - they were literally walking down the street, in some cases," Peter said.
While about two million koalas are believed to have existed across NSW at the start of the 20th century, estimates of the current population vary between 95,000 and 238,000.
Many koalas in NSW are now also heavily diseased with chlamydia, according to Peter, causing infertility, blindness, and increased susceptibility to other threats.
While the latest NSW budget was notable for its lack of provisions for extra koala protection, John and Peter are keeping their eyes on the positives.
John says their optimism comes largely from the enthusiasm of the local community towards protecting native wildlife.
"The bushfires really revealed a rich vein of care in the community," he said.
"You saw the community banding together to save the animals - it was overwhelming."
The enthusiasm has only gained momentum as the plans for the sanctuary have evolved, according to John.
"More people are coming on board, and I see a very bright future for it," he said.
"It's very much waiting to happen."
The sanctuary will include an education centre, a research centre, and a bush corridor to Morton National Park, building on existing connections with communities and scientific partners to create a "centre of excellence" at Bundanoon.
Identifying areas with suitable habitat for koalas within the national park will be key to the project, and conducting research to ensure the koalas will thrive in those areas.
Research projects and educational programs will be run from the sanctuary, where volunteers will help care for and rehabilitate a broad range of native species for re-release into the wild.
"It's not for the display of animals," Peter said.
"We don't want them to stay in captivity and become tame. The idea is to help them home."
Private and public support is building for the project, which John and Peter forecast will have a total budget of about $10 million.
"It sounds like a lot, but it's actually quite a small budget when you consider what we're doing," Peter said.
"The sanctuary has a strong volunteer base, and every dollar we raise goes to helping and protecting wildlife."
Both encourage people to get involved as members of the sanctuary, which is completely free.
After combining their vastly different skills and experiences, Peter and John see enormous value in bringing in people from as many different backgrounds as possible.
To get involved, visit southernhighlandswildlifesanctuary.org.au
