In 1969, Michael and Kathy Willis bought a piece of land covered in gorse and broom on the outskirts of Christchurch with a dream to one day open a zoo. On Labour Weekend 1974, that dream became a reality with the opening of Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.
“I had looked forward to that moment since I was young, so when it finally came to fruition it was quite surreal,” says Michael. “It was quite scary at the time; people called me a crazy dreamer.”
Now, Willowbank is still owned and operated by members of the founding family, with son Mark and daughter Kirsty at the helm as Co-Directors.
“When Mum and Dad opened Willowbank, they didn’t even have an entrance building, they just sat in an old Land Rover with a shoe box as a till and put an ad in The Press advertising 25 cents an adult and 10 cents a child,” says Mark. “As a kid, I remember Dad coming home with boxes of second-hand nails. My school holiday job was to straighten nails to reuse them because we couldn’t afford new nails.”
Kirsty also reflects on their far-from-ordinary childhood living at a wildlife reserve: “When the first Star Wars movie came out, Mark was looking forward to getting a Luke Skywalker figurine for Christmas. Instead, we got a mountain lion cub in a dog crate wrapped in Christmas paper under the tree. We named him Lewis and he did everything with us. Mark would take him for walks on a lead and down for a swim, and he even used to sleep in my bed. Then he grew bigger teeth and bigger claws so playing started becoming a bit painful after a while.”
From humble beginnings to more than 210,000 annual visitors, Willowbank has become a popular destination for local, national and international visitors. It has also become a New Zealand leader in conservation, with success in many national, Australasian and in-house breeding programmes focusing on New Zealand native and endangered species, as well as many rare and heritage breeds of farm stock. Scientific research projects, and local partners including the Department of Conservation, the Styx River Living Laboratory, the Rare Breeds Society, the NZ Conservation Trust and the South Island Wildlife Hospital, are supported by and work alongside Willowbank.
Using pioneering and innovative display techniques, with an emphasis on creating a natural environment and an up-close and personal interactive experience, Willowbank showcases one of New Zealand’s best displays of native species and was the first to open a glass-free nocturnal house for Kiwi in a natural environment.
While there have been many changes at Willowbank since its inception, Mark and Kirsty have always felt a sense of pride to carry on their parent’s legacy.
“Dad is a pioneering New Zealander – we think of him as a bit of a cross between Barry Crump and Steve Irwin. He’s done a huge amount for conservation and been given a MNZM for it,” says Mark.
For its 50th birthday celebration, Willowbank wants to provide an opportunity for those who might not otherwise be able to visit Willowbank through a community nomination initiative.
“To see how far we’ve come and the challenges we’ve overcome is a testament to not just our family but everybody else who has been along for the journey with us over the years, says Mark. “We genuinely feel that we’ve only got this far because of the support from the community so now we want to give something back.”
Share a memory here and be in to win one of 50 family passes. The winning entries will be shared on billboards throughout the city.
Images: supplied.
