Smooch & Rose by Samantha Wheeler Page B

planting appropriate trees. Smooch’s favourite tree would stay, with the new driveway being built well away from it, not through it, as originally planned.
    Gran looked at me with a satisfied smile. ‘Congratulations, Rosie, you did it!’ she said. ‘Now every­one wins. The developers, the koalas, and people who love animals like you and me. Well done!’
    We had some more tea and another round of scones. That’s when Uncle Malcolm told us he had some more good news. Brilliant news, in fact. Gran and I leant forward in our seats.
    â€˜Do you remember the developers had a hiccup? A problem delaying development around the house?’
    Gran and I nodded.
    â€˜Well, they were having trouble getting approval to remove the house. Mayor Bantex decided to take it a step further. It turns out this house is so old it’s of historic importance to the area. He suggested I apply for it to be “heritage-listed”.’
    Gran nearly spilled her tea. ‘“Heritage-listed”?’
    â€˜It means this house was one of the first built in the area. Something like 1870, I think. The first farmers in the region lived around here. A house as old as this is so historically important that it can’t be knocked down. So it looks like you can stay!’
    â€˜Wahoo!’ I yelled. I bounced up and hugged Uncle Malcolm around the neck. He started a little but I was too busy saying thank you over and over again to care. When I finally let go, Uncle Malcolm coughed awkwardly and straightened his tie.
    â€˜But how will that work?’ said Gran, still looking unsure. ‘Will I have to rent the house from these history people?’
    â€˜No, no, not at all. We’re adjusting the paperwork so that the developers will still build on the farm, but you will own the house. You won’t be able to knock down any walls or change the outside of the house too much, but you will be able to keep the small yards for the animals and—’
    â€˜So Mickey and Sally and the chooks can stay?’ I chirped happily.
    â€˜Yes, yes, the animals can stay.’ He paused and looked over at Gran. ‘So, what do you say?’
    There was only one thing to say. Yes, yes, YES! I ran down to tell Smooch as soon as Uncle Malcolm had gone.
    â€˜Smooch!’ I cried, gazing up into his tallowwood tree. ‘We did it! We really did it!’
    Smooch was curled up fast asleep and didn’t move.
    â€˜Now, you’ll have to get used to sharing this place. It’ll still be your backyard and everything, but it won’t be quite the same. There’ll be more houses, and more dogs, and loads more cars. You’re going to have to be careful.’
    I sighed and leant my back against the rough bark of the tree. Who would believe it? Little old me, standing up to all those people.
    I closed my eyes.
    It was true what Gran always said. You don’t have to be big to be special. The breeze in the treetops agreed.

What should you do if you find an injured koala?
    When Rose and Gran found Smooch’s mother, and then Smooch, it was quite a scary situation. Not only were they confronted with a pack of blood-hungry dogs, but there was also an injured koala’s life hanging in the balance. If you ever find an injured koala, it’s important that you know what to do. Here are some steps that you can follow:
    â€¢First, check for danger. Will you be safe if you help out? If you’re alone or with friends, call an adult or a teacher to assist you.
    â€¢Keep other animals away and don’t try to pick up or touch the koala (unless advised otherwise by the koala rescuers). It’s also really important to keep calm and quiet because koalas stress very easily.
    â€¢Next, make sure the koala needs rescuing (maybe it’s actually okay). You could do this by watching the koala for a minute to see if it’s just resting or trying to find its way.
    â€¢If the koala is in