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We've said before that doing what we do gives us the opportunity to meet some incredible people and this past few weeks has been no exception.
At the Longdog festival in Tocal we were fortunate enough to meet two special girls called Simone and Chelsea. They were there as disability support carers for some clients and we had a wonderful encounter with Ben. He couldn't decide whether he wanted a longdog keyring or another 'B' for Ben. Thing is that apparently he already had 2 'B' keyrings from a previous shopping trip and although he still seemed very keen on the 'B' he ended up going with the longdog which is now one of his prized possessions.
Simone and Chelsea seemed particularly taken with our Wombat and Kangaroo earrings and it turns out that not only do they do amazing work with Eagleton Ridge Disability Services but they also give their time as volunteers for Southern Cross Wildlife Care.
Enter Belinda and Vince into our lives. Little did we know that while we were packing up from a long day at the Longdog festival and journeying home, Simone and Chelsea were telling Belinda, the founder of Eagleton Ridge Disability Services about us and our Australiana earrings and she was visiting our website and placing an order.
We saw she was not too far away from us and always loving to discover new parts of the area we offered to drop her order off in person.
Belinda then told us she would love us to visit, that she is an intensive care volunteer nurse for Southern Cross Wildlife Care (a charity dedicated to the treatment and care of Australian wildlife) and and that we would be able to cuddle some of her furry patients. You don't have to ask me twice for the opportunity to cuddle an animal !
The day of the visit couldn't come soon enough. When we arrived we were warmly greeted by Belinda, Vince and 5 (that's right - FIVE) rescue doggies.
A true testament to how adaptable animals are, this assortment of 5 vastly different furry critters were a licky, tail wagging welcome party dream.
We met Ella (the inquisitive greyhound), Tammy (a black curly little pooch with a curious obsession with the rescue possom Ava), Mishka (another curly black fur baby that's not having a bar or letting you stop the cuddles), Whoopie (who likes to lounge around near her humans) and elderly and serene Mater (a beautiful long haired German Shepherd who's recently been to the hairdresser).
We could see this was going to be a very fun visit !
Belinda led us through their wonderful home to her nursery, sat me in a chair and started handing me bundle after bundle of pure joy (yes there were some tears).
We have never in our lives had an experience like this getting up close and personal with these beautiful animals and we felt privileged and humbled by the experience (I was buzzing for hours afterwards).
The orphans we met that day were Rosa, an Eastern Grey; Tilly the swamp wallaby; Opal the red kangaroo; Beau the red neck kangaroo; Felix - another eastern grey; cute little Winnie the wombat and Ava the brushtail possum along with her doggie protector Tammy.
Outside sitting in the rain (yep - a rare day of much needed rainfall) was their pet Oscar - a disabled eastern grey that can't be returned to the wild.
It was heartbreaking to hear all their stories but seeing their progress and the amazing care they were receiving was comforting.
We really can't thank Belinda and Vince enough for opening up their home to us and sharing their story and the amazing work they are doing.
We share this beautiful land with some truly amazing and unique creatures. Thank goodness for people like Belinda and Vince who are brave and skilled enough to spend their lives protecting, caring and rehabilitating our furry neighbours.
If you are inspired by this story and feeling in a donating mood, they can always do with towels, soft pet blankets and portable cots. Next time you're doing a spring clean if you find this stuff donate (keeps it out of landfill and help our native wildlife - winning !).
There is also a wishlist on the wildlife care website of stuff that they need for the work they are all doing.
We can't wait for our next visit !
Lou & Mike x