Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: 75 years since Gold Coast tourist attraction opened
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Dr Alex Griffiths left a legacy most people could never dream of.
The founder of Currumbin Sanctuary and a world-renowned environmentalist died nearly 25 years ago at the age of 86.
He died peacefully in his sleep at the John Flynn Hospital after a long battle with pneumonia a little more than a year after the sanctuary’s 50th anniversary.
The southern Gold Coast attraction, which has delighted fans for generations, will celebrate its 75th anniversary this month.
The exact date of the sanctuary’s founding is not known as its original records were lost in the January 2011 floods in Brisbane.
Dr Griffiths was known to many as the “Birdman of Currumbin” for his 25 years of thrilling and entertaining families by inviting them into his private sanctuary to watch wild birds be fed.
He said it was a “place where wild birds came to see the people”.
Dr Griffiths arrived in the area in 1942 and within four years had planted more than 12,000 gladioli bulbs on his 26ha Currumbin property, attracting the interest of the birdlife, in particular rainbow lorikeets.
Hundreds of the wild native birds would fly to his yard daily and peck at the plants, forcing Griffiths to come up with an innovative solution.
Rather than hurt the birds, he began feeding them, using bread soaked in honey and water to distract them.
The gladiolus were soon forgotten but the bread proved extremely popular, and brought an even larger flock of birds to the area.
The Currumbin Bird Sanctuary was founded in 1947 and gained international attention as one of the region’s great drawcards.
The park’s collection of animals increased and other attractions were added, including Dr Griffiths’ model railway in 1964.
By 1976 he handed the site to the National Trust of Queensland, which turned it into a not-for-profit business in which all the money raised went back into the park.
“They’re incredible,” he said of his beloved rainbow lorikeets in 1993.
“They have a particular attachment to humans. There is no other bird quite like them. They are unique.”
His death in 1998 sparked a flood of tributes from city leaders, including then-Mayor Gary Baildon and former mayor Lex Bell.
Cr Baildon expressed his “heartfelt condolences” on behalf of the city.
“Since they founded Currumbin Sanctuary (Dr) Griffiths had been committed to the protection, preservation and conservation of our native flora and fauna,” he said.
Cr Bell praised Dr Griffiths’ incredible influence on the Gold Coast. “He developed a unique attraction which will be an ongoing memorial to the man and his achievements. We have lost one of our universally respected identities.”
Even the National Trust, which had been a frequent sparring partner of Dr Griffith since he handed over the sanctuary, paid tribute to his work, with president Terry Conway saying he would be “sadly missed”.
“Although there were some robust differences of opinions at times, the National Trust always valued its relationship with him,” he said.
While visitor numbers have long remained high, the National Trust’s stewardship of the park has had its own share of controversies over the years, including its infamous sacking of chief executive Michelle Monsour in late 2007.
A devastated Ms Monsour was told in November that year she would not be kept on after her three-year contract expired, despite being assured she had the board’s backing.
It refused to explain the reasons for the decision.
Park volunteers rallied to have her reinstated while tour operator Worldtourism pulled the pin on a $250,000 sponsorship
The decision came the same year as the sanctuary forged an agreement with the giant Chime-Long group of companies in southern China, which ran the world-class Xiangjiang Safari Park near Guangzhou.
The joy was short-lived after the Howard government snaffled the pandas off to Adelaide.
The sanctuary and some of its original features, including Dr Griffiths’ model railway, the rainforest pool aviary and the former rock shop, were all listed on the state heritage register in 2009 during Queensland’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
Dr Griffiths’ original steam train was restored in late 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth.
The park gained a new lease of life in the late 2010s after spending $2m ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games to create its Lost Valley attraction, revitalising the landmark for a new generation.
The sanctuary was forced to close in March 2020 during the early days of the Covid pandemic, but was among the first to reopen in June that year after introducing its Covid-safe plan.
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