Page 3399 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 21 October 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Rescue and Foster, also known as ARF, is a Canberra volunteer organisation with around 150 members and 44 foster carers. The 2015 calendar is ARF’s eighth, and the photos in the calendar are of dogs that were being fostered during 2014. The calendar’s theme is “best friends”.
ARF aims to improve the lives of Canberra dogs by rescuing and re-homing unwanted dogs, educating the community about responsible dog companionship, working with local pounds to help achieve minimum destruction policies and procedures, and developing networks for people to look after rescued dogs until new, loving and permanent homes can be found for them. ARF have rescued and re-homed more than 2,400 dogs from pounds in Canberra and across the region since they began in 2001, and they enjoy an excellent working relationship with the ACT government’s Domestic Animal Services to maintain high re-homing rates.
It was a beautiful day on Dairy Farmers Hill for the launch of the calendar and I got to meet most of the calendar’s doggy stars and their loving humans. Unfortunately many of the dogs that ARF look after had a very sad story. Some, like my own pound dog, Cassie—we do not really know what her story was, but for all these ARF-fostered and adopted dogs their new story is awesome.
Well done to the photographers and designers who kindly donated their time and skills to create this calendar. Well done to Wendy Parsons, ARF President, and committee members, Susan Black, Dianne Heriot, Helen Shannon, Dallas Burkevics, Tess Kent, Bev Margosis, Sarah Rullis and Ruth Underwood. And most importantly, well done to all the wonderful foster carers and members for the work they do in our community.
There are many ways that people can help ARF, even if you do not adopt a dog, including donating clean, unwanted blankets and leads, become a foster carer to provide temporary accommodation until a permanent home can be found, attend an ARF event or donate some of your time to help out on an ARF stall or information booth, become a member of ARF or just simply buy the calendar. Proceeds from the calendar go directly towards veterinary, medicinal, food, training and equipment costs for foster dogs. I encourage all members of the Assembly and their offices to support ARF by purchasing a calendar for a very respectable $10. You can purchase the calendar through their website, which is www.fosterdogs.org. It is a small price to pay to give these beautiful dogs a well-deserved second chance.
International Day of the Girl Child 2014
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (4.39): I rise this afternoon to bring to the Assembly’s attention the International Day of the Girl Child, which occurred on 11 October. The day is designated for promoting the rights of girls and addressing the unique challenges they face around the globe. In 2012, this day focused on the issue of ending child marriage. In 2013, the theme was “innovating for girls education”. The theme this year was “empowering adolescent girls: ending the cycle of violence”.
This day increases the awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide based solely upon their gender. The inequality occurs across areas such as the right to
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video