"If I could do anything I'd work with Cranes in Africa" these were the words of Ann Burke before leaving the post of Director of Public Relations at the prestigious International Crane Foundation (ICF). Before leaving her home town of Baraboo Wisconsin to accept a volunteer post at the KZN Crane Foundation in 2010.
The KZN Crane Foundation was extremely fortunate to gain Ann's services she was able to assist an organisation whose membership had declined to a point where it was in the lower twenties. Thanks to her hard work this organisation is now close to releasing our Critically Endangered Wattled Cranes back into the wild. A project that with the potential to inspire South Africans to protect our wetlands and grasslands. Good news – in a country with too little good news.
Ann is supremely well qualified for the work she has done for the KZN Crane Foundation having undertaken the first successful release of captive reared Wattled Cranes into the wild in 1999, in South Africa. Ann was also the lead author on the Chapter on Wattled Cranes in the bible for cranes and crane conservation: "The Cranes; Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan", International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 1996.
Children are one of Ann's other great passions and she has done superb work with underprivileged children in Bruntville and overseen a growing and active environmental education programme for schools.
Ann has been diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of Breast Cancer. This is a devastating blow to anyone, but with Ann it is particularly demoralising as she is over in S.A. on a work permit and working as a volunteer with the KZN Crane Foundation which as you will have guessed means no medical aid.
Cancer can be beaten and with the right medication the fight is brought to a more equal level. Ann has given willingly of her time, efforts and talents for both the environment and people of the KZN Midlands. For those of us who consider ourselves friends of Ann or who have benefited from her work now is the time to pay our dues, as she begins her fight to overcome cancer.
Why help Ann, what about the thousands of others? Well I cannot answer that for you but I do know that she has given over her life to help saving a critically endangered species, to helping empower our local children. To help the residents of several townships understand and benefit through good environmental management of their gardens, schools etc. To enable young adults to find places to study, the list goes on.
All of this without pay. She is using any dollars she has saved, converting them to Rands and relying on the good nature of others.
Ann has no family to turn to other than her 83 year old Mother who lives in America, let us be her family. Please do not let us fail her. Let us show just what South Africans are made of.
Donations may be made to the following account
Bank: ABSA
Account Name: Ann Burke
Account Number: 9291220193
Branch Code: 632005
Swift Code: ABSAZAJJ
God bless
Arlene Arnold