Today the Oswin Roberts Reserve is one of the last remaining remnant bushland areas on Phillip Island, on Harbison Road.
The reserve is a testament to the legacy of Florence Oswin Roberts, who not only gave the 150 acres to the people of Victoria, but also cared for scores of koalas burnt in bushfires.
Most famously of all, she was the only private individual legally permitted to keep a koala, Edward (actually a female), with the beloved animal stuffed upon its death and now on display at the Phillip Island Heritage Centre.
Edward spent nights in a favoured tree near Mrs Oswin Roberts’ home, the guesthouse Broadwater. The tree is no longer standing, but in its place is another gum featuring a plaque dedicated to the unique human-animal relationship: “Edward’s Tree - 1936-44 - in memory of a loved and world famed pet koala”.
Florence was born in 1875 and in 1912 – with a background in hospitality – she bought Broadwater, on 2.5 acres on the corner of Dunsmore Road and Lovers Walk, a home which had been built in the 1890s.
Better known as Zing to family and friends, Florence became a passionate conservationist and drove a small grey car called the Beetle, according to a new book by Christine Grayden, to be released in late March, called Women in Conservation on Phillip Island.
Many a farmer, about to cut down a tree looked both ways to make sure the Beetle with Zing at the wheel was not approaching in a cloud of dust along a dirt road to catch him in the act of this vandalism.
She had the courage of her convictions and was not afraid to intervene to save a tree.
Following bushfires in Victoria in 1939, Zing rescued burnt and starving koalas, with Broadwater becoming a koala hospital with hammocks set up in the guest rooms.
When she found a dead female with a koala in her pouch, Zing took the baby home and reared the orphan, despite it being illegal for an individual to keep a koala in captivity.
Through her conservation contacts, a special bill was passed through the Victorian Parliament allowing Zing custody of the orphan, Edward, with the koala resisting later attempts to release her in the wild.
Edward became famous during the war, making appearances with Zing at functions in Melbourne for the war effort.
Outside her conservation work, Zing gave generously to charities, including housing disadvantaged children at Broadwater.
She was also instrumental in establishing the Phillip Branch of the Country Women’s Association, with a meeting of ladies called at Broadwater in 1935, when Mrs F Oswin Roberts became the first president, according to CWA minutes.
