85-year-old hospitalised after falling during a wallaby attack at Carlyle Gardens

Wielding a thong, an elderly man has fought off a wallaby just days after he was left bloodied and bruised from a run-in with the aggressive marsupial.

WIELDING a thong, an elderly man has fought off a wallaby just days after he was seriously injured from a run-in with the aggressive marsupial.

Residents of Carlyle Gardens in Condon are walking on eggshells following the attacks, but George Church, 85, took matters into his own hands on Tuesday after his head was split open from a fall during a wallaby attack last Thursday.

“I thought what do I do, I can’t get any (help), and I thought ‘I’ll have to fight my way out of it’, which I did,” Mr Church said.

A woman was reportedly jumped on while gardening, leaving her with scratches on her back.

The same woman later injured her knees when the animal knocked her over in a second attack.

Mr Church said he no longer felt safe enough to walk to his mailbox after enduring the two attacks in less than a week.

George Church used his thongs to fight off a wallaby when he went to check his mail at Carlyle Gardens. Picture: Evan Morgan

Mr Church fell backwards and split his head open after being confronted by an aggressive wallaby last Thursday.

His wife, Dawn didn’t believe him at first when he said he’d been injured – until she saw his shirt was covered in blood.

He was taken to hospital for a head scan, tetanus shot and to have the wound closed.

Townsville resident George Church fell over and split his head open during a wallaby attack last week.

He said although he didn’t want to see any animals hurt, enough was enough.

“Nobody wants to be cruel or hurt any animals like that, but it’s got out of hand,” he said.

“I am worried about children that come and visit, and I am worried about the elderly people here too – they haven’t got their wits about them and we’re worried about that.

“One minute I thought I was OK, and the next minute, bang, here it comes.”

Mrs Church said she had never seen anything like it in her years of living on acreage properties.

“You come here and you think it’s quiet and lovely, and then you can’t leave your door,” Mrs Church said.

Townsville City Council directed comment to the Department of Environment and Science, who were unavailable to comment.

UnitingCare acknowledged there was a wallaby problem in the local area. Picture: Evan Morgan

A UnitingCare spokeswoman confirmed the “ongoing issue” with wallabies in the area, and said Blue Care had been working with Parks and Wildlife and council for three years to “safely control and reduce the wallabies” and their impact on residents.

“While we currently have procedures in place, such as physically walking the wallabies out through the surrounding gates, we will continue to work with all stakeholders to find and implement solutions to help ensure the safety of our staff and residents,” the spokeswoman said.

Originally published as 85-year-old hospitalised after falling during a wallaby attack at Carlyle Gardens