Susan Brookhouse receives Medal of the Order of Australia for lifelong commitment to animal rehabilitation

"To start off with I was totally overwhelmed ... but I have been at this for a while," Mrs Brookhouse said.

Now in her sixties, the roots of Mrs Brookhouse's career stem back to her childhood when her parents instilled a decades-long passion for taking care of animals.

She got her first job in wildlife rehabilitation in 1980 and much has changed in the four decades since.

"[Back then] there was no collective group on wildlife rehabilitation and there was no clear-cut guidelines," she said.

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Mrs Brookhouse joined the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) in 1986, one year after it was founded.

She's worn many hats for WIRES, from secretary to president to trainer, moving across NSW and sometimes interstate, not once losing her love for animals.

Over time, the rules and regulations around wildlife protection changed, but Mrs Brookhouse kept her Independent Wildlife License from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, making her one of a select few legally allowed to rehab all animals with no specialisation.

"Only about ten people with that licence now, and they don't issue them anymore, so I've just held on to that," she said.

Of the thousands of animals Mrs Brookhouse has cared for, she said koalas are her favourites as they adapt to temporary captivity better than other animals.

"If you have a handful of fresh gum leaves you're their best friend," she said.

Speaking on her work, Mrs Brookhouse said her job isn't one she could do alone.

"The family's come along with me, they've all been a part of it. Our children have grown up in a house full of animals and my husband's put up with it all," she said.

Mrs Brookhouse said she accepts her award in recognition of the thousands of other people who work in wildlife rehabilitation every day.

"It takes a lot of work and a lot of collective knowledge, so it's not just from me it's from other people as well."

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