HAWKESBURY resident Carey Edwards has been recognised by Pro Bono Australia for exceptional contribution to Australian animal welfare and rescue.
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Mr Edwards and his wife Di run Australian Working Dog Rescue, a non-profit charity that saves working dog breeds from being euthanised in council pounds and shelters, and finds new homes for them.
“We specialise in Australian cattle dogs, blue and red healers, border collies, kelpies and Australian coolies,” Mr Edwards told the Gazette.
“We usually have between 200 and 300 in foster care around the country at any one time, and we’re working towards saving around 2000 per year - we saved between 1500 and 1800 the last two years.”
Pro Bono Australia’s annual Impact 25 awards program recognises 25 inspirational people in Australia's social sector that do amazing and often unrecognised work.
Along with Mr Edwards, some of this year’s winners include Rosie Batty, Penny Wong and Tim Costello.
Mr Edwards said being recognised with this award is really a win for all the people and the pets in the animal welfare and rescue industry.
“Being animal welfare, the rescue industry doesn’t get any recognition or available grants that they can apply for. They’re all self-funded - there’s nothing to ease the burden. What rescue organisations do is all community-based - they’re all volunteers,” he said.
“So to be able to represent this industry and give it a bit of exposure [will hopefully encourage] government to make funding available for start-ups, for people doing good. That’s the big key factor.”
AWDR was founded ten years ago in Pitt Town, and has grown to become the largest rescue organisation in the country, re-homing more animals per year than the RSPCA, according to Mr Edwards.
“When we founded it there was only 10 rescue organisations in the country, running on the smell of an oily rag. Nowadays, there’s close to 100 rescue organisations over the country, and it has grown exponentially over the last five years,” he said.
AWDR is a foster-based organisation: “We take them out of the cages and put them in foster homes where they’re prepared for their next chance of life,” said Mr Edwards.
“We socialise them so they don’t go straight to someone’s house and freak out, dig up the lawn, jump the fence and run away. So they have manners.
“We also do dogs in working homes, train farm dogs, we work with the Department of Defence and supply them with dogs for protection, and with protective services - one on the edge of Londonderry.”
The organisation has serviced Hawkesbury Pound over the years: “They take from four or five surrounding councils, which is not too common in the rest of Australia,” said Mr Edwards.
Mr Edwards was responsible for saving Bailey, a border collie and ex-working dog that was taken-in by the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney to help chase away seagulls
He is also fostering a mother dog and her two pups which were recently rescued by Hawkesbury Police.
Mr Edwards will attend a ceremony in February to receive his award. He said he still doesn’t know who nominated him, but he’s pleased they did so.
