GEORGE NEWS - Garden Route SPCA held its annual general meeting (AGM) at the George Museum Hall on Saturday, 21 July.
The meeting opened with an address by the chairperson of the management committee, Heather Church, in which she praised the staff, committee and volunteers who are essential to the success of the organisation. General manager Frieda Jansen van Rensburg was singled out for her absolute dedication to bettering the lives of mistreated and neglected animals in the Garden Route.
She also praised retired veterinarian Dr Howard Pettifer, who helped out when the George branch's vet left, and welcomed the new vet, Dr Suzanne Muller, whom she said she "hopes will stay with us until she retires".
Jansen van Rensburg said she had no words with which to describe the society's appreciation of Church, who has dedicated the past 12 years to actively helping animals beyond the call of duty. The statistics Jansen van Rensburg gave proved how busy the branches have been in the past year.
She spoke about the progress made to open a new Oudtshoorn SPCA which will fall under the Garden Route SPCA banner; the new day-clinic in George for animals whose owners cannot afford private vets; and the building of the Education Unit's facility, which will give basic training in animal care to groups of visitors. She also highlighted the hopes of building much-needed kennel blocks at both existing branches.
Treasurer Chantal van der Heever reported on the financial status of the society, saying that fundraising is more essential than ever to meet the needs of the rapidly increasing number of animals in the GR SPCA's area - a result of the massive influx of people moving to the Garden Route.
Senior SPCA inspector Salomé Bruyns highlighted the progress made by the inspectorate during the past year. She stressed that the number of essential outreaches they do into remote areas that have no animal welfare have to be increased. - Wendy Jones, SPCA volunteer
She also mentioned the increasing number of dogs being stolen, especially bull-terriers and pit bulls; the distemper outbreak and the importance of the public's tip-offs, which are usually the only way to find missing and abused animals.
Bruyns described how the SPCA and South African Police Service are working together to address animal abuse and improve the chances of cases of animal mistreatment ending in prosecution.
Head of the Education Unit inspector Gerda Reynders emphasised that getting through to children is the best way to generate a population that respects and cares for all animals. She gave a summary of what the 9-week high schools SPCA Cadet Programme entails and expressed her excitement about the new education centre at the George branch.
Rita Brock summarised her feral cat agenda, saying that her Cat Assistance Team had managed to get 789 cats sterilised at the SPCA in 2017. She stressed that sterilisation was the only way to keep feral cat colonies in control. She pleaded for donations of cat food to feed the colonies.
The meeting ended with a fascinating address by local photographer Colin Ralston, who showed his photos of rare and hidden creatures in the George area.
The George Museum is thanked sincerely for allowing the SPCA the use of their facilities.
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