On July 25, a group of dedicated staff and volunteers got together in the baking sun to run a yard sale to help raise funds for the outdoor flights. As you can see from the pictures, our feathered spokespersons (Sydney, Kelly, Tutu, and Jackson) dressed up for the occasion and flocked around to help and have fun.

Our staff supervisor, Stephanie Martin, reports: Hello, just a little note to let everyone know that the Yard Sale brought in about $800.00. It is pretty good being that the weather was so hot! A huge THANK YOU, to all those that helped out!

Click on one of the images to see some more photos from the day, courtesy of Stephanie and Sasha.

We've been delighted with all the inquiries about the July yard sale! The sale will be held on July 25, from 10am until 4pm, in the Refuge parking lot. There will be lots of goodies for sale, and for refreshments - baked potatoes, hot dogs, hamburgers and drinks.

We would love donations of new and clean pre-loved items (preferably not clothing, thank you) for the sale. These can be dropped off at the Refuge every day between 10am and 4pm. Please call ahead if you need help with bringing items in, so someone can be there to assist you.

The proceeds will go towards the cost of materials for more outdoor flights for our beloved feathered friends. If you've been reading our website for a while, you will have seen how our cockatoos love their outdoor flight. We have nine more flights to build. All of the labour is provided by our fantastic volunteers - and we would love to hear from more people who would like to help with the construction of the chain link flights when we are ready to proceed. The cost of materials for a new flight is $4,500.

Everyone is welcome to come along and help make it a great success for the birds. We hope to see you there!

From Wendy: Our incredible group of volunteers raised $1470 at our first "on site" yard sale. The people who came out to support us were very generous when they learnt that the proceeds were for the materials to build an outside flight for the small parrots. I shall purchase the materials this week when I am on the mainland, and then we can rally our new group of volunteers who want to do construction. One young man who came to the yard sale on Saturday is very excited about helping with this project, and he has experience with chain link fencing: a real bonus for the birds!

We have already received some great items for the next yard sale and promises of more to come! We are planning for Saturday, June 20, for the next yard sale. We need to raise enough funds for the second cockatoo flight. We have received nearly enough donations for the materials for the first macaw outside flight. Many generous people have donated on the website to the "Give Them Wings and Outside Flights" fund.

With all the love that is pouring in for these birds, we will soon be able to make their dreams come true.

Love from Wendy.

Thanks to the hard work of a few enterprising volunteers, our cockatoos are able to spend the last days of summer enjoying the sun in their very own outdoor flight! Not only did Larry and Anne Neil; and Doug, Val, and Erin Jones; raise the money for the flight by holding their own garage sale at Doug and Val's home (with the support of Quality Foods), but Larry and Doug worked many long days to construct the outdoor flight. Many thanks to these incredible people who love the birds so dearly, and to all the people who helped them to make this first flight a reality.

Doug and Peaches add the finishing touches

Larry and Rusty hard at work under the blazing sun!

Dale lends a hand with the outdoor flight

Perches in outdoor flight under construction

Sasha gives an interview as feathered supporters look on

Wendy helps shy birds take their first outdoor venture

Evo has the first taste of freedom

Happy to be in the sun!

Pictures from the successful garage sale!

Val and Doug, whose generosity made the garage sale possible

Larry helps set up goods for sale

Erin and Barney work the tent at the garage sale

Garage sale

Please click on the thumbnails below to learn how you can help some special birds have a home for life through our "Virtual Adoption" program!

Birds who are now partly sponsored, thank you!

Birds who are now fully sponsored, thank you!

"The World Parrot Refuge is a true sanctuary where parrots live out their lives in a loving, spacious and happy environment under the guidance of extraordinarily caring people. The many visitors destined to pass through the refuge will come to understand that parrots are not toys or trophies, but beings with needs and emotions as real as our own."

– Rosemary Low (author of more than 30 books on parrots)

"This is, in a word, a great place and these miraculous creatures deserve no less, but few places can deliver it this well. It is, indeed, 'world class'."

– Stewart Metz (author and Director of the Indonesian Parrot Project), after his visit at the Grand Opening of the Refuge on August 13, 2005.