By Callum Ludwig
Gladysdale resident Saskia Adams, President and Co-Founder of Forever Friends Animal Rescue (FFAR), has won the Community Hero Award in the 2021 Community Achievement Awards.
Mrs Adams was honoured for her significant contributions to FFAR’s efforts rescuing and rehabilitating over 10,000 animals since its inception in 2011, despite being a volunteer organisation with no government funding.
Mrs Adams said her journey into animal rescue started when another organisation was looking for pet foster carers and she decided to apply.
“I applied to foster a little dog from Mildura Pound called Ned, a little Jack Russell cross Foxy, and he turned up and was a happy, healthy, beautiful, and loving little dog,” she said.
“I thought it was terrific an hour ago, he was on death row in a country pound and now he’s alive and well because rescue groups were trying to help reduce the kill rates in pounds and shelters across Australia.”
The winners were announced on Saturday 26th February at Sofitel Melbourne On Collins and Mrs Adams and other award winners were offered the choice of a $2,000 Westpac Choice Account or a PRIME7 Television Package, and a trophy.
Mrs Adams said it was a great surprise to win the award and she was glad to see the spotlight shined on animal rescue as a whole.
“I’m not only grateful personally for the award, but grateful the work of animal rescue volunteers across Australia has become increasingly recognised because there are thousands of people who do this work,” she said.
“They really are unsung heroes. It’s wonderful just to know the work of animal rescuers is on the community and political radar.”
Mrs Adams previously worked in publishing and was the Senior Editor at Penguin Books, however the need to aid and rescue animals was far greater than she ever could imagine, and left her position to be on call seven days a week to assist and run FFAR.
Ms Adams said she wouldn’t have it any other way and pointed to a number of opportunities for people to volunteer for FFAR across a wide range of skillsets.
“We are always needing people to volunteer for transport to move, pick up animals from pounds and drop them off to foster carers or take them to vet appointments. Photographers to help create profiles for the animals for the website so they can find homes,” she said.
“Foster carers are the other biggest thing. We are always desperate for foster carers, animal lovers who are happy to open up their heart and home for a short or long term period for an animal in need until they’re ready for adoption, for a few weeks to several months.”
FFAR has grown to become one of the largest volunteer-run charities in Victoria, with over 1000 team members.
It is looking to match its impressive membership with equally impressive facilities, embarking on an ambitious project fundraising to continue to build an Animal Rehabilitation.
The proposed sanctuary on 100 acres in Gladysdale will be dedicated to supporting animals in need, from dogs and cats to pocket pets and unwanted farm animals.
FFAR is still in need of $50,000 to complete the project and hopes more Yarra Ranges businesses and community members donate to the cause.
