South Australian Veterinary Emergency Management given bushfire recovery grant from News Corp Australia
A volunteer group which rescues and treats animals during emergencies is among a number of SA not-for-profits to receive recovery grants as part of News Corp’s Bushfire Fund.
Adelaide Hills
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A group of emergency response veterinarians have received more than $21,000 as part of News Corp Australia’s Bushfire Fund.
Adelaide Hills-based South Australian Veterinary Emergency Management (SAVEM) will use the money to buy critical veterinary equipment to fit out their inflatable field hospital.
The volunteer group rescues and treats animals during emergencies, including natural disasters such as bushfires.
SAVEM co-ordinator and veterinarian Rachel Westcott said having that equipment makes a big difference to the group.
“It’s equipment that’s second line equipment that we really need … it’s additional things that we find really useful in the field,” Dr Westcott said.
“It’s thing like infusion pumps, a portable anaesthetic machine, generator, microscopes and additional radios.
“Sometimes it makes a difference between deciding whether an animal needs to be put to sleep or not.”
SAVEM was deployed to help animals in both the Sampson Flat and Pinery fires in 2015 as well as Cudlee Creek and Kangaroo Island in 2020.
The grant comes as part of a second round of the News Corp Bushfire Fund in partnership with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal.
This round will fund 20 grants across NSW, VIC, SA and QLD totalling $410,159
News Corp Australia also announced on Tuesday a $500,000 top-up of the News Corp Bushfire Fund taking the total budget of the Fund to $1.5 million.
Other South Australian groups receiving grants include:
Royal South Australian Society for the Deaf to train CFS volunteers in how to communicate with the deaf community.
Advance Kingscote Progress Association to install a major grain silo artwork on Kangaroo Island.
Parndana Agricultural Horticultural and Floricultural Society to host the free 2020 Parndana Show on November 14.
News Corp Australia’s Community Ambassador Penny Fowler said: “From building a memorial to honour firefighters to supporting indigenous cultural burning techniques, this round of funding from the News Corp Bushfire Fund really shows how diverse the needs of each community are in the recovery effort.
“Continuing to support the road to recovery at a community level is vital to our mission to improve the lives and livelihoods of those most affected by the devastating bushfires.”