General News
5 April, 2023
Funding another step forward for vet clinic
The establishment of a dedicated not-for-profit Regional Community Vet Clinic (RCVC) in Campbells Creek is one step closer thanks to a grant of $50,000 from the Australian Government in partnership with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal...
The establishment of a dedicated not-for-profit Regional Community Vet Clinic (RCVC) in Campbells Creek is one step closer thanks to a grant of $50,000 from the Australian Government in partnership with the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR).
FRRR is a national foundation focused on ensuring social and economic strength in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia by aligning government, philanthropic and local community purpose and investment.
Founders of RCVC, Robyn Slattery, James Mack and Yvette Berkeley recognised a need for low-cost veterinary care when they realised people were surrendering much-loved pets because they simply couldn’t afford to care for them.
“Robyn and myself used to volunteer at Mt Alexander Animal Welfare Shelter and we saw a lot of people coming through who were either elderly or struggling financially,” Mr Mack said.
“They really didn’t want to do surrender their pet; it was a last resort but they wanted the best for them. That meant either the shelter would have to foot the vet bills to get them re-homed or they would be a permanent resident at the shelter.”
After speaking with local vets, they realised this was an issue for many people struggling financially, and so the idea of a not-for-profit vet clinic was born. Since then, the group has been working hard to secure funding for the project, while also providing much-needed outreach services to the community.
“The big, lofty goal we have at the moment is to build our own clinic in Castlemaine, which we think will be achievable by December this year,” Mr Mack said.
“We are very close to our funding goal now. This FRRR grant takes us up to about $470,000 in funding and $100,000 has been promised to us by the state government in the May budget.”
Mr Mack said RCVC has approached Central Goldfields Shire Council about establishing outreach in the shire, particularly in smaller communities where older people may not be able to travel to with their pets for care.
“We are very keen to do a lot of work around Central Goldfields because we know there are pockets in the community that are financially struggling,” he said.
“We have spoken to the council and our plan is to come over and do a desexing day in Maryborough, so residents can bring their cats free of charge for desexing. Now we are just waiting on the council to work out a room and a date.”
Mr Mack encouraged others to support the work of RCVC, either as a volunteer for outreach services or a corporate sponsor.
“We are always looking for people to help with services like dog walking for elderly people, or administering medication,” he said.
“We would also love to hear form local businesses who might want to partner with us to help us achieve our goal.”
For more information or to volunteer/donate visit https://rcvc.org.au/