Member of the Month Page
AMRRIC Member of the Month February 2010 Nicole Howcroft
Nicole completed a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health in 2002 and moved north from Brisbane to Bundaberg to work for the 
then Bundaberg City Council as an Environmental Health Officer. She worked with Bundaberg City Council and then the amalgamated Bundaberg Regional Council for six years. During this time she worked on numerous projects (in addition to regular environmental health inspections) including running the Immunisation Program for the entire Bundaberg Region, assisting in the development of the local Food Hygiene Course, was a leader in the Council’s Local Disaster Management and Welfare Group and implementing the many legislative changes for Environmental Protection and Public Health legislation. She also worked tirelessly to promote her profession throughout the Queensland Central Region and served as Secretary/Treasurer and then President of the Australian Institute of Environmental Health – Central Group (now Environmental Health Australia) for five years. At the end of the first year with Bundaberg City Council, Nicole was nominated for and received the Young Environmental Health Officer of the Year from the Australian Institute of Environmental Health. Read more........
then Bundaberg City Council as an Environmental Health Officer. She worked with Bundaberg City Council and then the amalgamated Bundaberg Regional Council for six years. During this time she worked on numerous projects (in addition to regular environmental health inspections) including running the Immunisation Program for the entire Bundaberg Region, assisting in the development of the local Food Hygiene Course, was a leader in the Council’s Local Disaster Management and Welfare Group and implementing the many legislative changes for Environmental Protection and Public Health legislation. She also worked tirelessly to promote her profession throughout the Queensland Central Region and served as Secretary/Treasurer and then President of the Australian Institute of Environmental Health – Central Group (now Environmental Health Australia) for five years. At the end of the first year with Bundaberg City Council, Nicole was nominated for and received the Young Environmental Health Officer of the Year from the Australian Institute of Environmental Health. Read more........AMRRIC Member of the Month January 2010 Rick Walduck
Rick was born and grew up in “country” Ringwood Vic with an Edna Walling inspired garden lovingly created by his parents surrounded by 5 acres of bush and snakes and paddocks of grazing land and unmade roads, a small dairy and heaps of native terrestrial orchids. He was chooled at Wantirna South State school which had a total enrolment of 32 pupils from Grade 1-6,before moving in his early teens to the “big City” in Glen Iris, Melbourne and finished his education at Wesley College. He was oncerned about going to University to study Vet Science because that is where the “bright people” go, after cramming solidly for the first year and passed, realized that their was a social life world out there to enjoy as well .Rick was rofoundly influenced by his father who guided him to believe that you could achieve much if you set your mind to it and the word “impossible “ did not exist. His father said always remember and believe you are not the worst in the world ,nor the best, but you are OK. His parents love of garden and open space led to their joint creation of a number of gardens that were part of the Open Garden Scheme and they established and ran successfully two gallery’s on the Mornington Peninsula Vic in their later years.
Rick graduated as a vet with the first Melbourne vet school graduates and worked in “mixed” practice in Dandenong before developing with his partners their own practice in Springvale South. He worked there for 20 years before establishing Central Animal Records and Microchips Australia. He still maintains a management interest in all three entities at this time .
Having been always concerned with animal welfare issues this led to membership over many years of three Animal Ethics Commitees (Monash, MUVS and Howard Florey), AVA Animal Welfare subcommittee, MMPB and AVA Vic Div committee, Animal Emergency Centre, AVA Policy Council, Vet Nurse advisory Board, Agrifood Skills Council (Animal Care and Management umbrella of training) UAM and Australian Institute of Animal Management and AMRRIC.
Rick feels privileged to have worked with many talented and inspiring people over the years and two deserve special mention. Ted Donelan, that empathetic giant of gentility, understanding and achievement and Phil Donohoe that visionary, embodiment of patience who did, and whose memory now, is still making a difference.
AMRRIC Member of the Month December 09 Philip Pogson
Philip grew up in the southern highlands south of Sydney where his father was the town dentist and his mother a paediatric physiotherapist specialising in developmentally delayed children His parents’ rambling home was a Noah’s ark of pets including birds, horses, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, poddy calves, bantam hens, ducks, quails and tortoises who shared the property with five Pogson children. His father was interested in indigenous issues and regularly visited remote communities in the 60s and 70s on projects formulated in partnership with local indigenous groups.After training as a classical musician Philip eventually became a management consultant specialising in strategic planning. He developed an interest in veterinary schools and rural R&D through working closely with Professor Reuben Rose, former Dean of Veterinary Science at Sydney University, and Professor Dave Hodgson, a leading equine vet who is now based at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Science in the US. Philip visited Virginia to assist in strategic planning in 2008.
Philip is passionate about AMRRIC, and particularly its culture of respectful partnership with indigenous communities. His firm donated their services to help develop AMRRIC’s strategic plan and in 2009 he assisted the Board in reviewing the plan. He looks forward to growing government recognition of the need for long term approaches to improving animal health in indigenous communities.
Photo: Philip (left) with Dave Hodgson in Washington DC, 2008
AMRRIC Member of the Month Randi Rotne November 09
Randi graduated as a veterinarian from the University of Sydney in the early 90’s. She initially worked in the country in a practice that had not employed a full-time female vet previously and enjoyed getting away from the city. The next few years saw a few jobs going between Sydney and the country, always having pets and training dogs.In 1999 she started her own practice settling in a semi-rural area, the Hawkesbury-Lower Blue Mountains region. The practice promoted responsible pet ownership including running several education days with that theme and general community education. Randi’s puppy grew into Nurse Abbey and worked in the practice every day.
The practice was also lucky enough to do alpaca work and as they were initially considered an exotic species, a great deal of voluntary wildlife work followed. The interest in AMRRIC and other animal programs began and the opportunity to volunteer on the Iditarod Trail in Alaska assisting the Husky teams came about. She stayed in remote regions in Inuit communities, sometimes camping in minus 30 degrees. The dogs often represent one of the only forms of transport for these people in the winter months and the race is in honour of a special trek that was performed to bring vaccine to dying children.
Randi moved on from her practice in 2007 and volunteered with Vets Beyond Borders in the Himalayas, working with Indian Vets in Rabies affected communities. She remained traveling for the rest of the year before taking a contract to teach part of the veterinary nursing certificate to Indigenous Animal Health Officers in remote regions of North Queensland. During this time Randi found out her great great grandmother had been a horse handler in one of the regions she had visited and had also been Indigenous.
She has recently started a surgical research masters in an orthopaedic topic with Sydney University and has not as yet had the chance to work with AMRRIC, but as her interest has remained strong and she prefers to travel as a worker and participant rather than as a tourist, she feels sure this will eventually happen.
AMRRIC Member of the Month Geoff Irwin October 09
Geoff Irwin started working in Local Government 1977 and since the 1994 amalgamation of two large Councils (Albert and Gold Coast City) has been involved in animal management issues. Geoff was until recently vice president of AIAM and a committee member of the former UAM group and AVACCAC. Geoff works closely with Councils in South East QLd and Northern NSW as a regular member and chair of relevant committees. As well as a Graduate certificate in Public Sector Management from Flinders University he has a range of practical qualifications in animal management. Geoff was born in Cunnamulla Qld and is proud of his aboriginality.
AMRRIC Member of the Month Dr Rosalie Shultz September 09
Rosalie is the Senior Rural Medical Practitioner, Maternal and Child Health Central Australia Remote Health Services Department of Health and Families. She became interested in animal health after news reports of horrific dog attacks in Alice Springs. She needed to know more about why dog attacks – sometimes fatal - are so common in her town of Alice Springs, and in doing so she learnt about the importance of healthy dogs for healthy people. She commented this may be especially so for Aboriginal people.She stated "When we provide primary health care services we need to include vets as part of the team. Together with teachers, child care workers, police and fresh food salespeople, vets and others who promote animal health provide essential services to improve the health of communities".
AMRRIC Member of the Month Ray Barnett August 09
Ray graduated from the University of Sydney in 2000 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science. Since then he has worked in various mixed animal vet practices in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, and spent a year locuming in the UK. Currently he works in his home town, Grafton NSW. He first became involved with AMRRIC in 2008 when he volunteered on a dog health programme to Kintore, NT. Ray enjoys experiencing remote areas of Australia, and finds that getting involved with AMRRIC provides the perfect opportunity to see new areas and help indigenous communities. Ray is due to be married to Vicki Child in October this year, as she is the only woman he has been able to find who will put up with him. He considers himself very fortunate to have found such a lovely person to marry, and will be re-visiting Kintore with her this year to do the dog health programme and hopefully a horse program on Palm Island later in the year.
AMRRIC Member of the Month Lisa Hansen July 09
Lisa Hansen works along side Dr Stephen Cutter at the Ark Animal Hospital, she co-founded the Ark animal Hospital with Stephen and later the Ark Animal Welfares Services. Under this umbrella she works with both the Darwin city council Pound and with Palmerston city council pound. Lisa is committed to indigenous dog health programs and believes strongly that Human and dog health issues are closely related and that understanding the importance of dogs in communities is key to better dog health programs. Education is a large part of having healthier dogs but opportunity to do right by the dogs is also a key factor. If the shops don’t sell dog food or tick treatments then it is hard to access what is needed for healthier dogs without outside help. It is hoped that as local councils move more towards less traditional methods of dog control, pounds etc that we will in the future be able to assist with training opportunities. Lisa is committed to working with AMRRIC in providing the right style programs for people in remote communities and to enabling communities to better care for their dogs.
AMRRIC Member of the Month Darren Hickey June 09
Darren has worked for RSPCA (Victoria) as an Inspector since 1997; initially based in the south eastern districts of Melbourne, and was posted out to the beautiful Gippsland region of eastern Victoria in 2001. He completed tertiary studies in Agriculture then worked for the Agricultural Business Research Institute in Armidale, NSW. After a short contract job in Griffith, NSW with the wine grape/citrus industry, Darren was drawn to the RSPCA because of his long-held desire to make a contribution to the improvement of animal welfare in the community. Darren finds the job of a RSPCA Inspector provides regular, hands-on opportunities to provide assistance to all kinds of animals utilising both educational (the carrot) and legislative (the stick) approaches. With his agricultural training and life-long experience with companion animals, he finds he is able work well with both production and pet animal owners across many communities. Darren says one of the features of his job is the incredibly broad cross section of people he gets to meet and work with.Darren became a member of AMRRIC in 2007 as a result of his involvement in the establishment of a dog health program in an aboriginal community at Lake Tyers in East Gippsland. Darren lives in Bairnsdale, with his wife Kylee (a vet nurse), 2 daughters, 3 horses, 2 dogs, 3 cats, chooks, and is currently working on finishing his private pilots licence.
AMRRIC Member of the Month May 2009- Luana Ferrara
Luana graduated from the University of Sydney in 1976 after starting off in first year with AMRRIC's Program Manager, Jan Allen. After three years working in small animal practices in Sydney Luana headed off overseas: first travelling through the USA, and then to England where she worked in various practices in many and varied counties! Two years were spent working and exploring the UK and Europe (and reconnecting with her Italian family), and then it was time to settle back home in Sydney. Luana continued working in small animal practices in Sydney including a 5-year stint as the owner/veterinarian of a small clinic in Sydney's inner west. Some more travelling and a change of career and pace then found her working in a biomedical research institute: a position she held for ten years until the dogs and cats called her back. Samoa lured her to work for an animal welfare organisation, the Animal Protection Society: who could resist those palm trees and beautiful beaches? Oh yes, and the dogs and cats …
Luana's time in research increased her interest in improving animal welfare, which remains to this day. Her love of travelling has seen her visit many countries and there are usually animals involved somewhere – she is the proud foster parent of her fourth orphaned elephant (via Care for the Wild, UK and the David Sheldrick Foundation, Kenya) where she visited in 1999. Luana has recently returned from her second trip to India working as a veterinary volunteer; this time for a Vets Beyond Borders ABC/AR project in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in southern India. She is already planning her next animal/travelling sojourn …
AMRRIC Member of the Month- April- Ray Ferguson
After a short stint in Dairy and horse practice Ray became a small animal veterinarian and devoted his energies to practice, family and community matters. Ray says he did not make use of his veterinary skills for others less fortunate than him initially.
The opportunity to use practical veterinary skills and work with small animals in indigineous communities has been very exciting. Ray has been to Maningrida several times and each time he goes he sees a continued improvement in the dog’s health and in the peoples understanding of welfare issues. 'It is extremely rewarding to be able to help in this community and to develop friendships with people', Ray says (pictured (R) teaching Melbourne University Student while dog owner looks on during the Maningrida Dog Health Program with Dr Ted Donelan).
AMRRIC Member of the Month- March- LEAH WELLS
Leah is a veterinarian currently working in small animal practice in California where she has been for the past three years. In April she will be commencing work with Vets Beyond Borders in India where she will be assisting with Project Vet-Train (http://www.vetsbeyondborders.org/resources/vettrainm
edia.pdf) a training program for local veterinarians. While in the US she also had the opportunity to volunteer on several trips with RAVS (www.ruralareavet.org) RAVS is a non profit veterinary outreach program combining community service and veterinary education to bring free veterinary services to underserved rural communities. Leah is also a regular volunteer with Alley Cat Guardians, a local NFP organization dedicated to humanely reducing the local feral cat population through their spey/neuter/return program. Originally from Derby WA, and having spent some time working in the Kimberley’s Leah is very interested in applying some of her recent experiences and becoming involved with the sustainable dog programs when she returns to Australia later this year.
AMRRIC Member of the Month- February 2009-Mr Clayton Abreu
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Mr Clayton Abreu, is the Indigenous Environmental Health Program Officer (IEHPO) working for Tropical Population Health Service Queensland Health Department. He has been working in the field of Indigenous Environmental Health for the past 8 years. He is committed to improving Environmental Health conditions in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities through sustainable Environmental Health programs which include Animal Management. Clayton played a key role in the devlopment and provision of the Queensland Health vet Training Workshops held in Yarrabah last year. Clayton also plays a key role in the faciliation of AMRRIC programs in QLD. He is currently kept very busy with the Dengue Fever outbreak in the Cairns region. Clayton is AMRRIC's first Indigenous representative on the Management Board. |
AMRRIC MEMBER OF THE MONTH- January 2009-Jan Kowarzik
Jan works for local government in Wodonga, Victoria, in the Home and Community Care program supporting frail and aged people to remain living safely and independently in their own homes for as long 
as possible. She discovered AMRRIC while studying for the Grad Cert in Animal Welfare through Monash University in 2006-7. Although she has not lived or worked on a community she have visited several during many trips into the outback over the last twenty years or so and seen some very sad dogs. Although she works in the human welfare field, animal welfare is a strong personal interest, (hence the Grad Cert in Animal Welfare). She is secretary of the Albury branch of the RSPCA, and shares her house with two Maltese-Shih-Tzu dogs named Emmy and Roxy. Jan believes that animal and human welfare are two sides of the same coin, with animal welfare issues reflecting human welfare issues. She would dearly love to be involved directly in a dog welfare program in some capacity. Until that is possible Jan enjoys reading about the activities of AMRRIC and its efforts to improve dog and human welfare in remote communities.
Dec 2008 Andrew Dunn
Andrew graduated from Murdoch University in 1979 and his veterinary career since then has given him privileged experiences throughout Australia. He worked in mixed practice at Narrogin, Western Australia and then in 1981 he joined Stanbroke Pastoral Company. He spent three years working on cattle stations in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Barkley Tablelands and the friendships formed during this time have been enduring, as 
has the love of the life and landscapes of Northern Australia.Andrew’s professional travels took him to dairy practice at Colac and the Atherton Tablelands and small animal practice and deer management in Perth. His recreational pursuits included a cycling trip from Lhasa to Katmandhu and sailing trips from Perth to Bali and along the Western Australian and Tasmanian coastlines. In 1992 he joined the team at the Moe Veterinary Centre where he now enjoys the challenges of mixed practice. He has a special interest in diagnostic imaging and has gained his membership in Radiology. He was named Small Animal Practitioner of the Year in 2006. Andrew and his wife Grania have in recent years enjoyed extended off track walks in Kakadu, and the Drysdale National Park and King George River regions of the Kimberley. The indigenous rock art, the landscapes and the birdlife of these areas are sure to draw them back to these parts of Australia in the future.
November- Dr JENNIE CHURCHILL (and Harry)
Jennie Churchill spent the first 20 years of her working life as a veterinarian in mixed practice. Since
1994, she has worked mainly in the not-for-profit sector for organisations as diverse as the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Organising Committee and the NSW and National Australia Day Committees. As Director of the Veterinary Science Foundation at Sydney University for 5 years, she managed the fundraising and promotional arm of her old Faculty. She is currently a Policy Advisor for NSW Government Minister Linda Burney. Jennie and her veterinarian husband Rob live in an Edna Walling garden at Crookwell, on the Southern Tablelands of NSW. The garden was the inspiration for writing and photography: Jennie is the co-author of two books on Walling and for 4 years was a presenter on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia. In 2007, Jennie was Acting EO of AMRRIC for several months, a role she was proud to undertake. She and Rob remain committed to AMRRIC – as regular donors and volunteers. They spent time at Galiwin’ku in 2008.
OCT 2008 AMRRIC EMPLOYEE and RECIPIENT OF PRESTIGIOUS IFAW AWARD - DR JAN ALLEN
Jan Allen (pictured on left) is a graduate of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney and Master of Environmental Management, New England University, Armidale NSW. She has spent most of her career in mixed practice on the beautiful North Coast of NSW. A lifetime goal of volunteering with Australian Volunteers International culminated in a placement with the Animal Protection Society (APS) in Samoa from 2004 untills 2006. This position was also supported by IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare). During this exciting period the APS developed village-based visits and the Samoan Government passed its Dog Control Management Plan. Back in Australia, Jan’s interest in the management of dog populations continued working out of Darwin to many remote Indigenous communities around Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia. She has now taken on the position of Program Manager with AMRRIC. Jan has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to animal welfare by being awarded a prestigious IFAW Action Award. The award was presented during the AMRRIC Conference in Darwin on the 14th October 2008, by IFAW’s Companion Animal Campaigner, Ms Marguerite Young (pictured left).
SEPTEMBER 2008 Alex Mullins-Outback Stores.
Alex has worked in Arnhem Land with the Northern Territory Department of Health in the field of environmental health and has recently moved across to Outback Stores in a similar role.p9010008-alex.JPGAlex is passionate about camp dogs and believes that there is a strong link between dogs and human health, particularly where kids are concerned. She has worked in dog health in her role with the government, delivering education programs in schools and advocating for dog health programs with community councils. “I believe everyone involved in community life can advocate for and support dog health. Dogs are such an important part of life to most people in communities. Dogs protect their families, keep them warm at night and hunt food for them. They need to be healthy for the dog’s wellbeing as well as their owner’s”. I’m never short of conversation out bush because I find people are always happy to talk about their dogs and of course I love to talk about mine. I was given a camp dog and I have a pound dog. I’m a life member of the NSW Animal Welfare League and an RSPCA volunteer”. Everyone loves a puppy but an increase in undesexed dogs in a community can cause social and health problems. Pups grow into unwanted young dogs that roam and scavenge due to starvation and can become dangerous in their desperation for food. Outback Stores managers often ask me how to control dogs around the community food store. Starving, unwanted dogs tip over bins, leave droppings and become a nuisance as they congregate humbugging for any scrap of pie or sandwich crust. This diet doesn’t make for a strong healthy dog and many camp dogs end up immune compromised. This allows for them to be attacked by scabies mites, worms and ticks in particular. The upcoming Build Up in the Top End can be a really miserable time for the dogs as their discomfort leads them to scratch till they draw blood and then sores develop. It is important to have a sustainable dog health program in place in every community to ensure that dogs that come into contact with kids and adults are healthy and not transmitting zoonotic diseases. That’s why I support AMRRIC; they have a respectful approach to animal management and deliver appropriate services along with an awesome reputation!
August 08 Dr Onn Ben-David Veterinarian Melbourne
Onn was born in Israel and migrated to Australia to study Veterinary Science graduating in 1973. In 1978 he established the Caulfield South Veterinary Clinic which this year celebrates it’s 30th birthday. Onn is a councillor of RSPCA Victoria and has served as the Vice President since 1981 (27 years). He has been involved with a wide range of animal welfare and management issues within the RSPCA as well as on external committees and working parties. He is involved with Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) as a category C representative and has been a member of the Animal Welfare Science Centre (AWSC) Advisory Board for the last 8 years. Onn is a member of the AVA with particular involvement with animal welfare issues at branch, state and national levels for many years. Currently he is also the Victorian Division Policy Advisory Councillor. Onn is a workaholic and committed to the welfare and wellbeing of all creatures great and small. He believes in the AMRRIC vision and is very happy to see AMRRIC becoming more effective and more influential. Onn has not yet been involved with a dog health program in remote communities himself but now after rejoining as a member he hopes to do so very soon.
July 08 Josey Kitson- Project & Member Society Development Manager WSPA Canada
After working in a veterinary clinic for several years I realized that my passion was to work ‘with’ animals but also ‘for’ them. In 2002, I graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario where I studied animal ethics and minority rights. I promptly went back to school to study project management in the development sector. In 2006, I combined my passion for animals with my background in international development by accepting a position as Project Manager at the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) in Canada. Since then I have been working on a National strategy to address dog overpopulation on First Nations land. I currently live in Aurora, Ontario with my husband Michael and 10 year old Wheaten Terrier Whiskey.
