Carlyle Gardens resident must wear sling full time after she was jumped by marsupial

The family of an elderly woman who was left bloodied and with a fractured shoulder blade in a wallaby attack says more needs to be done to protect the vulnerable residents of a retirement village.

THE family of an elderly woman who was left bloodied and with a fractured shoulder blade in a wallaby attack says more needs to be done to protect the vulnerable residents of Carlyle Gardens.

Graham Gransden’s wife, Suzanne, 73, is now traumatised after her latest run-ins with the wallabies who roam freely throughout the grounds of Carlyle Gardens in Condon.

The injuries after the wallaby attacks.

Mrs Gransden was attacked by a rogue animal in September and again on New Year’s Eve, and suffered from scratches and a fractured shoulder as a result of the attack.

Graham Gransden's wife Suzanne was attacked twice in three months by a wallaby at Carlyle Gardens, leaving her bruised and battered both times.

Mrs Gransden was gardening on September 28 when she was pounced on by a wallaby, cutting the skin on her back and pushing her to the ground.

When the pair went to report the incident, they were reportedly told by management there was no incident form they could fill out.

On December 31, Mrs Gransden was again set-upon by an animal, this time she was knocked sideways and hit her knee on a concrete garden border.

Suzanne Gransden’s leg days after her second wallaby attack at Carlyle Gardens.

Mrs Gransden cut her right hand and fell on her left side, with her head narrowly missing a tree.

In a letter after Mrs Gransden’s latest attack, Mr Gransden said he felt as if there was no “duty of care” by the retirement village to the residents.

He said he was left questioning who was liable for the injuries suffered by people attacked by the animals.

“I told (manager) that I think it’s time for us to take this incident to further action, whatever it takes, as eventually somebody is going to be seriously or even critically injured, as there are a lot of vulnerable people living in the village,” Mr Gransden said in a letter following Mrs Gransden’s New Year’s Eve attack.

“Wildlife that can cause injury, minor or serious, surely have no right to be allowed to cohabit within a housing estate.”

After multiple scans and X-rays, Mrs Gransden was told she had fractured her shoulder blade and must wear a sling full-time until an appointment at the fracture clinic.

Mr Gransden reported his wife had not been the same since the attack, and now suffered from nightmares.

A wire fence now stands around one of the covered mailbox areas at the Condon retirement village in an attempt to stop the wallabies approaching people, after resident attacks were reported to the Townsville Bulletin in recent days.

It is understood the wallabies had been a persistent issue for residents since 2010.

The installation of the fence comes after multiple residents were attacked in recent months including after an 85-year-old man was attacked twice in one week by a wallaby while collecting his mail.

Suzanne Gransden was left bruised and scratched after being pounced on and knocked over by a wallaby in September.

Speaking to the Bulletin, Mr Gransden said he felt like he had no other option than to report the incident to the Association of Residents of Queensland Retirement Villages if he felt no progress was being made.

He is due to meet with Carlyle Gardens management next week.

WALLABY WOES: Calls for help as attacks continue

UnitingCare responds to family’s call for action on wallaby attacks

A STORM over rogue wallaby attacks on residents of a Townsville retirement community is brewing, with one resident spouting claims of people mistreating the animals.

Meanwhile, calls to remove the wallabies running rampant through the streets of Carlyle Gardens retirement village in Condon have intensified.

George Versus the Kangaroo

It follows reports of recent attacks on residents, in which one man was hospitalised after falling over during a run-in with the animal, and days later fought one off with a thong.

Christine Maher is fed up of the ongoing problem of wallabies terrorising residents including a member of her family who lives within the community.

But after her complaints seemed to fall on deaf ears from Carlyle Gardens management, Ms Maher called for an investigation into the attacks in a letter sent to local politicians and management of the retirement village.

“These elderly people have moved into a retirement village, a place to feel safe and secure … (they) should be given their independence back and be able to walk to their letterboxes to collect their mail,” Ms Maher wrote.

“(They should) be able to work in their own gardens without being threatened or knocked over.”

George Versus the Kangaroo

She condemned the residents who she claimed were “raising” the joeys.

But Ms Maher isn’t the only person speaking out.

A resident who wished to remain anonymous said they had seen people mistreating the marsupials.

The resident claimed to have spotted residents throwing rakes and rocks at wallabies, while others allegedly spat and chased them.

A UnitingCare spokeswoman said they wanted to provide residents with the “living environment they deserve”, and said it was a “priority issue”.

“Before the recent incident involving a resident, we had reached out to the Department of Environment and Science (Parks and Wildlife), seeking another meeting to implement a new plan and strategy for managing the wallabies in 2022,” the spokeswoman said.

She said the number of wallabies in the area had been reduced from 500 to 250 in the three years since they had begun “walking the wallabies out” through the gates, but were aware more needed to be done.

“We have submitted applications to the Department of Environment and Science, to obtain permits and advice regarding long-term solutions, which to date have not been successful,” she said.

“Our residents are fully informed and engaged in our ongoing efforts of controlling and managing the wallabies through regular town hall meetings and updates through our newsletter.”

“ … Providing a safe, serene way of living for our residents is our utmost concern.”

A Department of Environment and Science spokesman said they could offer advice to the landowner, but if a wallaby needed to be removed from a property, a commercial wildlife catcher would have to be contacted.

The spokesman discouraged the feeding of wallabies, saying it could lead to wallabies becoming aggressive if they were not fed.

Originally published as Carlyle Gardens resident must wear sling full time after she was jumped by marsupial