With a lot of hard work and dedication from a team of locals, the Regional Community Vet Clinic have successfully secured the funding for the construction of a dedicated veterinary clinic in Mount Alexander Shire- providing services to those in dire financial circumstances to care for their pets.
Thanks to funding announced in the 2023 Victorian budget, the group has achieved its funding goal of $500,000 for the construction of its purpose-built, not-for-profit veterinary clinic.
“We’re unbelievably happy with the result of the budget, to see our cause crossing political lines and getting funding from two parties really goes to reaffirm that our services are needed and important to the regional Victorian community,” said co-founder Yvette Berkely.
“We’ve been running outreach programs and pop-up clinics for the past year and seeing the support from our community has been truly heartening.”
Funding for the clinic has been raised by RCVC through a mixture of grant awards, government funding, philanthropic grants, and donations from local businesses and the community with significant funding milestones coming from Animal Welfare Victoria, The Victorian Labor Party, The Animal Justice Party, The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) and The Albert & Barbara Tucker Foundation.
With their fundraising target secured, RCVC is now able to commence the build for the clinic which is being purpose-built by a Bendigo-based modular builder using a design that is portable and meets the region’s sustainability and environmental goals.
“We have a site in mind for the clinic – Mt Alexander Shire has offered us space on the grounds of the Campbells Creek Community Centre and that would be perfect for us,” explained co-founder Robyn Slattery.
“The reason we invested in a portable rather than a fixed site is that it allows both us and the shire flexibility if the site needs to change in the future, but we hope that we could be a long-standing fixture in the area.”
The goal of the clinic is not to compete with or to disrupt local veterinary practices in the region, but to support them by servicing clients and their companion animals where their owners are experiencing social disadvantage or financial hardship in central Victoria. This relieves both emotional and financial pressure for commercial clinics, who often end up servicing these clients for free or providing payment plans that rarely end up being fulfilled.
With funding secured and building contracts under negotiation, the next step for the team at RCVC is to finalise the site details with Mt Alexander Shire Council, who are currently assessing the planning permission. The goal of RCVC was always to have a clinic operational and staffed at least one day a week by December 2023 and this still seems achievable at this time.
For those in the local community interested to learn more, the team at RCVC is planning to hold a public meeting at Campbells Creek Community Centre on Sunday, June 18. Members of the public will be able to ask questions, get updates on progress and learn more about supporting and volunteering with RCVC.
For those interested in contributing, their fundraising campaign can be found at rcvc.org.au/donate/ with all donations over $2 are fully tax deductible.
Organisations interested in corporate giving (or sponsorship) or any aspiring volunteers should contact RCVC by email at: info@rcvc.org.au, phoning: 0493 447 394, or visiting www.rcvc.org.au.