The passionate team of staff and volunteers who run the Mount Alexander Animal Welfare shelter are excited to celebrate the facility’s 20th anniversary this year.
“We’re still here because the community has supported the shelter for the past 20 years,” senior manager Rosie Skinner said.
The Castlemaine shelter has helped numerous sick, lost or unwanted pets over the past 20 years, thanks largely to a bequest from Pamela Waters who died in 1987.
Pamela’s family, the Hylands, ran a wildlife conservancy in the area and worked with the RSPCA and animal welfare to establish the shelter.
After the RSPCA announced the closure of the facility in 2017, the local community and RSPCA volunteers rallied to form Mount Alexander Animal Welfare Inc. – or MAAW – which kept the facility open.
Thanks to money raised by the op shop, MAAW was able to purchase the facility in 2018 and in 2019, MAAW secured the tender for the operation of the council pound for a period of three years. Being awarded the pound contract guaranteed a yearly income of $180,000 to assist with the operation of the shelter.
In 2020, with money raised at the op shop, a state government grant and three generous donations, MAAW was able to open a new cattery, which has provided a warm and happy environment for cats and kittens.
The team looks forward to continuing to provide love, care and shelter for pets that need it most.
The shelter still requires significant improvements and upgrades to continue to provide a safe and healthy environment for the animals. Anyone wanting to donate can visit: maaw.org.au/products/donate-to-maaw.