Serena Finlayson- Murdoch University WA final year veterinary student- Dec 2009

 As a 5^th year veterinary student, I had an amazing experience going on an AMRRIC Dog Health program trip to Yuendumu for one of my work experience placements.   On our arrival into Yuendumu on Sunday evening we could hear music emanating from the many different churches in the community until late in the night. We were not sure what to expect on the first day and were even accepting the possibility that may we not be able to desex any dogs at all. But by the end of the week, the vets had desexed over 90 dogs!

Alison Taylor- Canberra AVA Division- Oct 09

This project of having an aboriginal dog health programme supported by the Canberra community is really my “baby” at t

he moment. The opportunity to go to Maningrida to assist Ted Donolan with his programme had to be taken. It was thought by AMRRIC  that this was the next logical step for us in Canberra to take. That is, sending a local veterinarian to get a first hand experience of working in a community. Fortunately it was all possible due to the support of the ACT AVA ( Australian Veterinary Association), my clinic ( Kippax Veterinary Hospital) and my beautiful family. Read more of Alison's story............

Sasha Woodburn- University of QLD, veterinary student/researcher- Maningrida Story- Oct 09

Words of wisdom? Hmm, I'm not sure about that. All I can say is that I had the most amazing time. I agree with Ted- it was a diverse group- but all the better for it! I feel like I learned things from everyone there, and felt supported in the learning experience. To be honest I was a little surprised at how positive the whole experience was- the way we worked together, shared knowledge and responsibility; that everyone was encouraged to be involved in various aspects of the program- surgery through to door- to- door; and what a program such as this can achieve over time. It was great to see the relationships that Ted has built and the degree to which he and the program are trusted in the community, with new families joining in the program as well as old clients returning. It seems a real indicator that both the process and results of the program are having positive outcomes. A highlight for me was having the children coming and going throughout the week- I'm sure there might be some very able and interested future animal/ environmental health employees amongst them... or at least such an employment opportunity exists that didn't before. I would love to see how the education side of things fits in and is run... but there's time for that down the track (I hope!).

Emma Kennedy- Veterinarian - Maningrida Story-Sept 09

Words of wisdom... My very very quick visit to Maningrida, which was actually less than 24hours, was inspiring and a wealth of information none the less! People talk of their time in Maningrida as time away from the 'real-world', but for me, to be re-united with vets, engrossed in vet work, vet talk and a little more civilisation compared to Elcho Island, my 24 hrs in Maningrida was almost a little overwhelming!! Living and working on Elcho Island in Arnhem land, and currently only involved in random bits of voluntary vet work, my visit to Maningrida gave me insight into what is actually involved in setting up a Dog Health Program in indigenous communities. It's a massive job, and Ted should be so proud of his achievements in the past 7 years. I've learned in the past few months that new things are not all that well accepted in Indigenous communities, so the acceptance and success that Ted has achieved is really quite amazing. Ted, and the AMRRIC team are a wealth of knowledge, and their commitment to DHP's in our indigenous communities should be commended!!I had a great time - lovely to meet some like-minded people, committed to making a difference!

Abbie Couper- University of Melbourne veterinary student- Maningrida Program Oct 2009

I had a fabulous time in Maningrida, having left Melbourne, I feel, quite ignorant of indigenous affairs, living in the community for the couple of weeks, and being immersed in conversation each evening at the motel, has slightly improved my understanding of the situation. And, I hope now, since coming home and speaking to friends and family, that ripple effect from Ted and Jan will continue to flow, so that others gain just a little more interest, and may in each of our own ways aim to make a little bit of a difference. The group in which we were working was also a highlight, different personalities with different backgrounds and stories all coming together. I was pleasantly suprised at the condition of most of the dogs in the community, and seeing the rare leatherback highlighted the difference that Ted (and his helpers) have made over the years. I don't think I was expecting that the majority of the dog population were owned - and often important members of the family - is it any wonder that as a puppy fed on magpie geese and buffalo, the ivermectin sandwich isn't too tempting! I guess one highlight of the fortnight was the success in desexing the first dog at one of the outstations - where this was a greater achievement than the 101st dog of the trip - highlighting the continual acceptance of the program. Seeing several community members and children of the community come and take an interest in what we were doing was also encouraging - and hopefully with community acceptance, education programs on dog health, welfare and behaviour can improve understanding of cheeky dogs and their management - to minimise dog attacks etc. I hope that in the years to come I will be able to provide my services - as a veterinarian! - to another community, and continue to improve the the conditions of dogs throughout Australia. My one note of wisdom would be to take aerogard to the tip at dusk - with marks on my legs still proof of my forgetfulness - naughty little sandflies!

Cassie Wittwer- Veterinarian- Kintore – August 2009

After a fantastically fun & rewarding stint of volunteer veterinary work in India in 2005 and then a couple years of exploring various parts of the northern hemisphere, I eventually came back to Australia feeling like I knew very little about my own country, and really had a lot more exploring to do right here. I think that volunteer work, particularly in our industry is a great way to get involved with a community and see a place through ‘locals’ eyes, rather than as a tourist. Having lived in a city for the majority of my life, like most city-dwelling Australians I don’t personally know any indigenous people, nor had I ever been to an indigenous community. This significant patch of ignorance & na?vety became an itch that needed to be scratched, thus investigating what Dog Health Programs were up and running in Australia. I didn’t have to look far – AMRRIC popped up pretty quickly on the internet, and I managed to get out on a trip to Kintore with some close friends Vicki and Ray, and their lovely friend Jan Allen. I don’t think I have ever been anywhere so remote in Australia – the 7 hour mostly dirt road drive from Alice Springs was full of challenges (2 flat tyres at once kept poor Ray busy for a while!) but rewarded with a spectacular sunset complete with first camel sighting, and then rolling quietly into Kintore at about 9pm!! A quiet friendly community, Kintore is surrounded by the ‘Womens’ and ‘Mens’ mountains, and very close to the WA border, and so provided great after-work activities for us, as well as hundreds of photo opportunities!!

Mark Powell-Ti Tree NT- Oct 2009

Having just returned from a week of Animal Health Program at Ti Tree 200 km north of Alice Springs I would like to thoroughly endorse the work of AMRRIC . Vets Steve Cutter and Kim Benning together with nurse Tess showed me how it is possible with a little enthusiasm a dash of experience and not much equipment or facilities to desex in excess of 25 semi wild animals each day with little or no help from their owners. There is a whole new skill set that needs to be learned.

Christopher Blow- Trainee Environmental Health Worker goes to the Western Desert- Pilbara-August 2009

Hello my name is Christopher Blow, I am an Aboriginal man originally from QLD and I have now called the NT home for the last13 years. At the moment I am a trainee Environmental Health Officer with the Northern Territory Government. My job and personal interest is to try and protect the public’s health through the environment that we live in, be that in an urban,rural or remote situation. Being an Aboriginal man I am very concerned about the serious health situations that the majority of our Indigenous people and their communities find themselves in. So to be offered the opportunity to be part of the dog health programs run by AMRRIC is a very rewarding experience. This is rewarding because I know through my job and life experience that a sick, under nourished overcrowded dog population on our Indigenous communities can create very unhealthy, unhygienic living conditions.  Having the chance to go out into the Western Desert regions of our beautiful country and working with the Vets and nurses in a dog health program was a very satisfying life experience. The Desert people, young and old, made it more satisfying for me when they come and thank you for helping them with a problem that they can see and realise is creating health issues in their communities. So I feel very privileged and proud to be a member of the animal loving group called AMRRIC. 

Kath Tsimbas- University of Sydney final year student on the Jigalong WA program- July 2009

I was extremely priviledged to accompany the AMRRIC crew to two remote remote Aboriginal communites, Jigalong and Cotton Creek, in Western Australia. Here as a Veterinarian student, I accompanied the vets and nurse in worming, de-sexing and euthanasing dogs in the communities. Words cannot express how rewarding this experience was. The team were proffessional and caring and the residents of the community were genuinely concerned for the welfare of their pets. The red dusty environment was our background as we walked from house to house within the community chatting to locals about the services that we offered. Surgery was undertaken on a verandah. We constantly had an audience of visiting locals, little prying eyes and minds with many questions.  I also bought back a dog (one of the Jigalong sisters) to urban Sydney. What's the breed? That is yet to be determined and has been described as a spare parts dog...nonetheless it is a vital and adored member of my family!

Angie Connell- Kintore reflections- Nov 2008

I found the week I spent as a volunteer vet in an aboriginal community to be an incredibly rewarding experience. The program, run by AMRRIC, addressed the relative over population of dogs in the community by surgical desexing and initiated a parasite control program, aiming to reduce the incidence of zoonoses, aggression and subsequent dog bite injuries. The long term goals of the program include creating a sustainable dog program employing indigenous community members and instilling a sense of the responsibility of pet ownership through school visits, holding an open clinic and distributing collars and dog food samples. I volunteered with AMRRIC on their second of three visits to Kintore scheduled over a period of 6 months. We reached Kintore, which is 530 km west of Alice Springs, by air, flying over the spectacular West MacDonald ranges. The community is home to approximately 400 people and has a health centre, school, general store, women’s centre, and an arts centre. Our team consisted of two vets, Jan Allen and myself, Julia Hardaker, EO of AMMRIC and a veterinary nurse, Aaron Tucker.   Read more......

Ray Barnett- on Kintore- Nov 2008

In May 2008 I had the privilege to be involved in an AMRRIC dog health programme in the Northern Territory community of Kintore. I had only recently heard of AMRRIC through a former workmate, “gypsy” Jan Allen, and thought a week of volunteer work in the desert would be a good holiday from demanding pet owners and the sound of ringing telephones which are some of the less pleasant realities of private veterinary practice. The trip proved to be thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding. It was an opportunity to work with new and interesting people, and meet some local characters (both indigenous and non-indigenous). It also provided a glimpse of Australia’s contemporary indigenous culture and a chance to visit a part of Australia that most people will never see. AMRRIC’s desire to improve the health of both the animals and people in remote indigenous communities is a commendable goal, and it is very satisfying to have made a small contribution towards achieving that goal in Kintore through dog desexing and parasite control. With regular veterinary visits to communities it would seem that substantial health benefits are possible.

Thanks to Julia, Jan, Aaron (the fearless dog catcher) and Bonny for making the expedition such an enjoyable and memorable experience.

Ray Barnett (pictured above with colleague Jan Allan and (R) desexing the hard way!!

Bonnie Cumming- University of QLD veterinary student- Speaking about Kintore- Nov 2008

As a final year veterinary student at the University of Queensland with aspirations to ‘make a difference’, upon discovering AMRRIC and the amazing work that the organisation does I desperately wanted to be part of the team. I managed to convince Executive Officer Julia Hardaker that I was enthusiastic enough to volunteer on the 3rd stage of the Kintore pilot dog health program, and when accepted I could barely contain my excitement. When I later discovered that we were driving out to Kintore from Alice Springs the photographer in me was elated! I had read the previous reports and felt that I was sufficiently prepared for the veterinary work, however having never been to, let alone worked in an Indigenous community I had few expectations for what the community would be like. I knew very little about indigenous culture and practices and have since realised how naive I was to a significant part of our country. Any hesitations that I had however, were long forgotten by the end of our week in Kintore as the community welcomed us and the work that we were doing.   Read more......