Animal antics with Mark & Kirsty
Three generations of Cantabrians have grown up with special memories of furry and feathered friends at Willowbank. Metropol Editor Lynda Papesch catches up with founding family siblings Kirsty and Mark Willis to look back on its first 50 years.
Naturalist, photographer, and writer, Edwin Way Teale once wrote, “Those who wish to pet and baby wild animals ‘love’ them. Those who respect their natures and wish to let them live normal lives, love them more.” None would agree more so than Canterbury’s Willis family, founders of the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.
Siblings Kirsty and Mark now co-direct the reserve that their parents Michael and Kathy opened on the outskirts of Christchurch in 1974. Times have changed, animals have come and gone, and the reserve has ventured down a conservation and interactive education path, creating new and satisfying memories for those now in the driving seat.
“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 child, he remembers his father arriving 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,” he recalls.
From those small beginnings, the reserve has grown to host more than 210,000 annual local, national and international visitors. Mark and Kirsty see its popularity and growth as a tribute to their parents. “They kept believing in their dream and holding firm on their vision, and now they have achieved something quite special,” says Mark.
Their own memories of growing up with the animals and birds are also special. “When the first Star Wars movie came out, Mark wanted a Luke Skywalker figurine for Christmas. Instead, we got a mountain lion cub in a dog crate wrapped in Christmas paper under the tree,” says Kirsty. They named the cub Lewis and took him everywhere with them, until his teeth and claws grew bigger, sharper, and play became too painful.
Other memories include learning to ride a camel, and their dog feeding a family of otter pups in the house. Both have had other business interests since leaving the family nest, yet they have always remained involved with Willowbank’s direction and with guiding a new generation to love and care for the wildlife.
With familes of teenagers and those in their early 20s, the legacy is already being passed on. “They [their children] all love and are passionate about Willowbank, and involved in some way so they can always come back if they choose,” says Mark.
Like their parents, Kirsty and Mark are developing a legacy of their own, recently buying the International Antarctic Centre near Christchurch Airport. During the next three years they plan to invest in new and improved experiences and hope to make Cantabrians fall in love with the spectacular icy centre again.
The two businesses are no stranger to each other, having worked together for years on marketing initiatives, and Mark says it’s a “privilege” to be the centre’s next caretaker. “The International Antarctic Centre’s inception was brought about by Christchurch International Airport to showcase the city’s important Antarctic programme to the world. Being a part of that vision and its continuation is important to us,” says Mark.
Local community involvement is also important to the siblings, and their ongoing vision. “We’re proud to be from Christchurch, and we view Willowbank as first and foremost being owned by the community of Christchurch; without their support we don’t have anything, the business doesn’t exist,” says Kirsty.
Willowbank and the International Antarctic Centre both have conservation advocacy at the core of who they are, and it is conservation that drives Mark and Kirsty to succeed, not just for the people, also for the birds and animals. “A lot of satisfaction comes from conservation work. Our father had an unrelenting passion to help endangered species and we have willingly inherited that legacy,” says Mark.
WILLOWBANK WILDLIFE RESERVE
Still owned and operated by founding family members, Willowbank tells the story of New Zealand’s natural heritage, using pioneering and innovative display techniques.
The emphasis is on creating a natural environment, and an up-close and personal interactive experience. It is home to one of New Zealand’s best displays of kiwis, and is a conservation leader in native and endangered species, as well as many rare and heritage breeds of farm stock.
