Vale Lance Ferris, the ‘Pelican Man’
Ballina is in mourning following the sudden death of the ‘Pelican Man’, Australian Seabird Rescue founder Lance Ferris.
Lance, aged 60, died on Saturday night after suffering a stroke.
Ballina MP Don Page said: “Lance Ferris was a special person who saved hundreds of pelicans and other marine wildlife, but he was also generous in supporting community activities with his guitar as well as talking to thousands of school students about respecting the environment, the beaches and wildlife.
“We have lost a special person who contributed so much to the welfare of marine wildlife through Seabird Rescue but also to our community generally.”
After retiring from the Police Force in 1980, Lance Ferris committed himself to community service, including working for many years as a teachers’ aide at special schools in Lismore and Ballina and later with troubled youth.
However, he will be best remembered as the ‘Pelican Man’. He and Marny Bonner 15 years ago founded Australian Seabird Rescue. Lance and Marny trained and mentored pelican and seabird rescue teams in South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria as well as branches on the NSW Central and South Coasts.
“Thousands of pelicans injured by fishing tackle and many hundreds of endangered sea turtles were nursed back to health as a result. The pelicans have lost their best friend and we have lost a marvellous human being,” Mr Page said.
“The last conversation I had with Lance a couple of weeks ago was about establishing Seabird Rescue in Queensland and it looks like getting off the ground there too.
“I urge everyone to honour Lance Ferris’ work by respecting our marine life and not leaving fishing tackle, hooks, plastic bags in and around our waterways.”
Mr Page said he had always had a close personal friendship with Lance Ferris ever since he helped Lance and Marny Bonner get their first boat with a motor to enable the Seabird Rescue to do its work more efficiently. Prior to that Lance used to paddle out on his surfboard to rescue injured pelicans.
Meanwhile, Lance had just ‘come on board’ as a contributor to Ballina.Info.
Last week we posted a story about how he was contacted by a man from China who had rescued a turtle.
Lance told us how he sent a link to our story to the man in China, and how inspired he was to see that his efforts had been placed on record in a faraway land.
Lance also told us how he was inspired by the Chinese man, and he passed on a few emails he had received from him.
Here are two of them:
Hi Lance
You are very strong!
I sent a letter to ASR’s for help. I know no one. Hours later, I get your letter. And then, I got their reply. I am grateful for their help, and of couse, grateful for your help.
Best Regards
Boling.
Hello Lance
Thank you very much for your invitation to visit your center. And thank you very much for the story about my little hawksbill turtle.
Years ago, I’ve been to Australia. Now it is not very convenient for me to go abroad, because I lost my voice after a surgical operation for the reason of cancer.
I can speak only by a mechanical device and only my wife and close friends can understand what I say.
If I go to visit Australia one day, I certainly pay a visit to you.
Best Regards
Boling.
Lance told us: “We all are inclined to despair over our own troubles (often petty by comparison.)
“But here is a man, in a country with a regime not envied by some, who, without any prior experience, has chosen to go to incredible lengths to save an endangered sea turtle.
“A man who cannot speak without the aid of a machine … and even then, only his close friends can understand him.
“I am totally and utterly inspired by this man.
“If I had enough money, I would fly him and his wife out here, tomorrow.
“By the grace of the Turtle God, somehow, I will find a way to get him here.”
Unfortunately, Lance has gone, perhaps by the grace of that Turtle God, and Boling will never get the chance to meet Lance.
But what is certain is that the memory of Lance and his legacy will continue to live on.
PICTURE: Lance Ferris, right, with a sealife rescuer from Sea World on the Gold Coast. Local photographer Doug Eaton took the picture last Friday at the Evans Head boat harbour, where the men were trying to rescue a turtle entangled with fishing line. Their efforts were unsuccessful and they planned to return this morning. Unfortunately, that did not happen after Lance’s untimely death on Saturday night.
