Derwent Valley Council area residents take to Facebook over wallaby carcass display

After a complaint was lodged with council over a gory hunting display in a suburban homeowner’s front yard, the local mayor has defended the practice, saying she’s “proud to be a redneck”. GRAPHIC

After a complaint was lodged with council over a gory hunting trophy on display in a suburban homeowner’s front yard, the local mayor has defended the practice, saying she’s “proud to be a redneck”.

On Thursday, Derwent Valley Council area residents expressed disgust over bloodied wallaby carcasses being strung up in a suburban homeowner’s front yard – but many rushed to the hunter’s defence.

A resident posted the graphic find on Facebook on Thursday, with a caption: “Not in suburban streets. Remove them please.”

Derwent Valley Council Mayor Michelle Dracoulis says she is ok with hunting practices, as long as they are “ethical and sustainable”. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The photo shows three intact wallaby carcasses hanging by their tails from the fence line, with another small skinned animal, possibly another wallaby, among them.

When contacted by the Mercury for comment, Derwent Valley Council Mayor Michelle Dracoulis confirmed council had received an official complaint, and the matter was dealt with promptly.

“On Thursday morning council received a complaint about wallaby carcasses in respect to the potentially offensive visual aspect they presented,” Ms Dracoulis said.

“Council officers investigated, and sought advice from local police. During the time that the matter was being investigated, the situation was resolved by the resident in question, and it was therefore deemed that no action or intervention was required.”

Residents in the Derwent Valley Council area have expressed their disgust over a homeowner hanging wallaby carcasses from their fence. Picture: Facebook

Ms Dracoulis said council would generally only become involved in such matters if they “constituted a statutory nuisance or posed a risk to public health”.

The mayor then said she has “hunted and fished from an early age” and was “entirely supportive of sustainable, ethical (hunting) practices”.

“These practices can and do support families and communities during challenging economic times,” she said.

“I am the mayor of a region that is both resourceful and resilient. If the accepted term for this way of life is ‘redneck’ then I am a proud to be a redneck mayor.”

Ms Dracoulis said there was more merit in “building relationships and speaking directly with neighbours rather than shaming them on social media”.

“Life is hard at the best of times, and the relationships we foster within our own communities are the ones that matter most in our day-to-day lives.”

‘Rednecks’: Sickly sight in homeowner’s yard prompts disgust

August 31: Derwent Valley Council area residents have expressed disgust over bloodied wallaby carcasses being strung up in a suburban homeowner’s front yard – but many have rushed to the apparent hunter’s defence.

A resident posted the graphic find on Facebook on Thursday, with a caption: “Not in suburban streets. Remove them please.”

The photo shows three intact wallaby carcasses hanging by their tails from the fence line, with another small skinned animal, possibly another wallaby, among them.

The sight shocked some people in the suburban neighbourhood. Picture: Facebook

A Facebook user wrote on the post “I’m concerned for the young children walking past”.

Another person wrote “rednecks”.

“Jesus”, someone added.

One Facebook user said the deathly display would “upset animal lovers and children”, with a person responding by saying “grow up, the world is too bloody soft”.

A flurry of comments in support of wallaby and kangaroo hunting then flooded the post, with many advocating for the person responsible.

“So it’s okay for the hundreds of dead ones (roos) on the side of the road? But when someone’s using it for food it’s not okay?,” a user wrote.

One person went on a nostalgic tirade: “Life back in my day. Dad, brother, uncles, cousins all went shooting. Bring them back, hang them up on the clothesline and on the fence,” they said.

“People need to grow up. People been shooting roo for years, for food and to stop them from eating farmers crops out. Teach ya (sic) kids this was a way of life and still is – with meat prices, people will go back to the old ways.”

Another person added: “Good to see people living off the bush tucker.”

“Grow up and stop being sooks,” one Facebook user wrote.

It is unclear in which suburb in the Derwent Valley Council area the photograph was taken.

The Derwent Valley Council and animal advocacy groups have been contacted by the Mercury for comment.