Welcome
A message from the CEO.
Welcome to the winter edition of Guide Dog Tales!
There has been lots happening here at Guide Dogs with the re-introduction of our in-person events and our graduations. This is a huge milestone on the path back to normality as government restrictions continue to ease.
We also officially opened our flagship community space and office in St Leonards, Sydney – a vibrant, welcoming and inclusive space for Guide Dogs Clients, staff, donors, volunteers, dogs and the community! The opening of St Leonards is a milestone for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT which celebrates our past and shares our vision for the future.
Most importantly, it is a space that represents the voice of our Clients and enables us to serve people with low vision or blindness where, when and how it’s needed most.
In still more exciting news, I am thrilled to announce our new docuseries ‘Born to Lead’! Launched late June and produced by the creators of Bondi Vet and Mega Zoo, the eight- part series follows the Guide Dog journey from birth to retirement; highlighting the dedicated volunteers and Trainers who play a special role in each dog’s development, and sharing the stories of people living with low vision or blindness who are matched with these life-changing dogs.
Head to the Bondi Vet YouTube channel to experience the love and dedication, the tears and triumphs, and the moments that make it all worthwhile as we see these beautiful dogs go on to transform lives.
In the meantime, please enjoy this edition of Guide Dog Tales as we share an update on Ezra whose story we shared at Christmas, as well as an introduction to our latest graduates and to those who are just beginning their Guide Dog journey.
I look forward to each edition of Guide Dog Tales as I love sharing with you, our Guide Dogs family, the amazing impact we are having on the lives of people with low vision or blindness. Without your support, none of this could happen. You are truly changing lives!
I hope you enjoy the read and thank you so much for your ongoing support.
Warmly,
Dale Cleaver
Chief Executive Officer
Community
Opening of St Leonards
Clients, donors, dignitaries, and dogs joined us on Friday 6 May for a very special event to officially open our St Leonards flagship community space and office.
The proceedings began with a Welcome to Country from Brendan Kerin, a cultural representative from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council. Brendan shared stories about his childhood and recalled what it was like being a ‘human Guide Dog’ for his adoptive Aboriginal father, who is blind.
We were joined by joint Patrons, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, Governor of New South Wales, and Mr Dennis Wilson, along with other special members of the Guide Dogs community.
At the opening, our guests enjoyed a special Guide Dog demonstration from Guide Dog pups in training, Sonic and Sienna.
The pups definitely stole the show displaying their skills – you could hear the audience’s collective ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from afar! The guests also got a chance to experience the innovative and accessible space for themselves. Client speaker Ingrid Barnes spoke about the importance of creating accessible spaces from her lived experience, and acknowledged the effort made by the team to ensure the space is safe.
Designed with accessibility at the forefront, some of the features of the space include:
- Access via wide doors, a lift and an accessible ramp.
- Extra wide corridors to ensure a clear path of travel and allow dogs and their Handlers to pass each other.
- Braille, tactile signage and assistive technology installed in all areas.
- Hard, carpeted, and tiled surfaces to help differentiate areas.
- A black rubber floor strip to assist with navigation and wayfinding.
- Furniture is fixed where possible.
- Tables have a contrasting edge, chairs and doors have contrasting frames.
- There are no sharp edges!
We were honoured for Her Excellency to officially open the space by cutting the ribbon! You can see in the image below that much to Guide Dogs staff member, Shan Rowledge’s surprise, Her Excellency called on her to join them, which was a lovely gesture to acknowledge Shan’s amazing 40+ years’ contribution to Guide Dogs.
Practitioner spotlight
Meet the St Leonards Puppy Team!
Hi, my name is Lisa and I am a Puppy Development Advisor at Guide Dogs. My job is to monitor the health and development of the pups and support the families in the Puppy Raising Program. I look after the Chatswood district where we have 18 pups currently in Puppy Raising.
Since opening our new office in St Leonards, my group have been meeting on a weekly (younger pups) or fortnightly (older pups) basis to check the progress of the pups, attend classes and discuss any challenges they may be having.
In the time that our pups are with their Puppy Raisers we conduct a variety of visits including training sessions, shopping walks and home visits. Our new office now adds another level to their training, allowing the pups to become comfortable and confident in an indoor space, something that is essential for their future job as a Guide Dog. We have also been enjoying visiting the surrounding shops and CBD, which allows the pups to progress their skills in a variety of environments.
Having the St Leonards office not only provides us with a fantastic space to practice real life skills with the pups, it also is a great hub that can be used all year round, allowing us to teach pups their foundation skills come rain, hail or shine.
Meet Jeanie, Kiki and Kasper, three of the pups in my St Leonards team!
Jeanie, Kiki and Kasper are six months old. These were the first pups to graduate from their foundation classes (puppy preschool) held at St Leonards. They have learnt basic obedience skills like ‘sit’ and ‘drop’, how to ignore food on the ground (which is no mean feat for a Labrador!), and how to greet people politely. At the end of class, they also get to enjoy some off-leash play, which is not only an important part of their socialisation, but also lots of fun!
Jeanie, Kiki and Kasper
Client focus
An update on Ezra
Ezra, our five-year-old superhero Client who we introduced you to at Christmas last year, was keen to share what he has been up to!
At Christmas, Ezra’s mum, Laura, shared with us her family’s journey from despair to hope and the transformation in her son from the moment he was connected with Guide Dogs, after being diagnosed at just one year of age with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (underdeveloped optic nerves) and Septo-Optic Dysplasia (a combination of underdeveloped optic nerves and pituitary gland dysfunction).
We are so proud of how Ezra is going. He has been working hard on recognising letters and learning how to dress himself, all of which helps Ezra become more independent now and in the future. He is even writing his name now, well done Ezra!
Rebecca, an Early Childhood Practitioner at Guide Dogs, has visited Ezra at kindergarten, to monitor his progress and see if there are any changes that can be made to his environment to further his development in preparation for his transition into primary school next year. Although there have been challenges along the way; from struggling to adapt to remote speech therapy sessions due to COVID-19 to a hospital visit and ongoing vision assessments, Ezra is thriving and we are incredibly proud of him!
“Guide Dogs has continued to support us with everything and are always checking up on Ezra and us to see what support we need.” – Laura, Ezra’s mum.
Your support helps provide pathways for children just like Ezra so that they can participate in activities, build confidence and experience all that life has to offer.
Thank you.
Peter’s story
Overcoming obstacles through the use of technology.
Peter first came to Guide Dogs in 2002, after his wife sadly suffered a heart attack and passed away. She was not only his life partner, but also his entire support system.
Since then, Peter has been accessing Guide Dogs’ vision services for his diabetic retinopathy, as well as assistive technology services. He is affectionately known as ‘Inspector Gadget’ due to his high proficiency using assistive technology.
“One of the great highlights of working with Guide Dogs is the really nice people I get to work with. I have also been able to live independently, cook for myself and go out by myself when I need to.”
With Guide Dogs’ help and support, Peter has mastered skills, using important technology that has opened up his world.
With so much knowledge about technology, Peter has even passed back some skills to the specialists at Guide Dogs and within his community!
Despite now being a confident user of technology, and a white cane user, Peter someday hopes to apply for a Guide Dog and to explore the world together.
Thanks to you, Peter is able to access vital services that help him live independently.
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Utilising Soundscape, a navigation app that plays directional sounds.
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Using his Miniguide, which allows Peter to detect fences and other obstacles when they get too close.
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Using AIRA, an app that connects Peter via his iPhone camera to an agent who can provide him with visual assistance or guidance.
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Using his iPhone with the Voice Over screen reader and his computer with both ZoomText and JAWS. He uses these accessibility tools to explore the web, keep in contact with friends and family, read aircraft magazines, and navigate around his community.
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Using Bose Audio Sunglasses, a schmick pair of sunglasses with in-built speakers, so Peter can hear the location of his landmarks in 360 degrees. The glasses avoid interfering with his auditory senses, allowing him to still determine traffic flow.
Events
Events are back at Guide Dogs!
Wednesday April 27 2022 was International Guide Dog Day, a day to celebrate the important role Guide Dogs play in supporting people all around the world with low vision or blindness to achieve their goals and live independently.
It was a great opportunity for everyone to experience our new state-of-the-art accessible office fit-out, learn about our Tech Bar and hear from our experts in both Dog and Client Services.
On May 1, we welcomed 75 supporters to a Service Dog Demonstration event in East Lindfield to see firsthand how our dogs are trained and two current sponsored dogs were invited to meet their Guide Dog Partner (GDP) sponsors. Joan Grant (current GDP sponsor) said that “Nelson had grown quite a lot since we saw him last and is even more magnificent!” All the attendees thoroughly enjoyed the event and felt it was a fun, educational experience.
We also hosted our annual Canberra Giving Circle event on May 11. Welcoming 34 supporters and their friends to the National Arboretum was Guide Dogs Client, Scott Grimley, who spoke about how he navigates his way around Canberra through the use of technology and his Guide Dog, Dudley. Throughout the course of the luncheon we also shared the immense impact of a recent Youth Camp where Guide Dogs collaborated with Outward Bound to facilitate an experience for seven high school-aged students to learn independent life skills and create long- lasting friendships.
For more information about any of these initiatives please reach out to Millie Zhang, Philanthropy Advisor at mzhang@guidedogs.com.au or 0497 633 009.
Guide Dogs out and about
Graduates
Introducing our newest Guide Dog graduates who are starting out on the next stage of their adventure – taking on their new role as a loyal and trusting guide to a person with low vision or blindness.
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Caylee
Caylee has made leaps and bounds in her journey to get to where she is today. Caylee is a little dog with a lot to give and will make her future Handler very happy with her sweet and affectionate personality. -
Vinnie
Vinnie has a calm demeanour but loves to work! He is a determined dog who is always keen to please his Handler and is all business while that harness is on. He is very sweet and loves to push his head up against your leg for cuddles. -
Izzy
There’s never a boring moment with Izzy around. This clever girl is always ready for action and with her piercing eyes Izzy lets you know that she is waiting for her next walk. Don’t be fooled by her calm nature – her enthusiasm and high energy come out when her harness is off. -
Rex
There’s no two sides to our boy Rex, he is always energetic! He is a red dog raring to go and is always excited to jump out of the van. He channels his energy into his work, and safely navigates his Handler to their next destination. Most of all, Rex loves nothing more than to be praised, told he’s a good boy, and given a pat!
Rex, Vinnie, Izzy and Caylee all wearing their harnesses while lying in a row looking to camera.
Gift in Wills
Bequestor Advisory Group meets for the first time!
We are always keen to hear your views and get feedback on the work we do in the Fundraising Team and at the beginning of March we were very excited to host our first Bequestor Advisory Group.
Held at our new office in St Leonards, the group was greeted by one of our Puppy Development Advisors and a cuddly eight-week-old puppy, before being treated to a short Guide Dog training demonstration. After participating in a lively and interesting research discussion on our Gifts in Wills Program our guests then enjoyed afternoon tea and a live demo of the Client Technology Bar.
If you have included a gift in your Will to Guide Dogs and would like to join our Bequestor Advisory Group, please contact Ali Kershaw on 0400 148 038 or email akershaw@guidedogs.com.au
We value your feedback
Here at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, we want to ensure that any interactions our supporters have with us meet the highest standards of inclusivity and accessibility.
With your input and the assistance of the Australian Network on Disability, we will be able to determine what we are doing well and how we can improve, which will help us develop our next Disability Inclusion Action Plan.
Please fill out our survey by 5 pm on 31 July 2022, and you will go into the draw to win a $50 voucher.
Puppies
Welcoming the Australiana litter!
Introducing the Australiana litter – the boys; Bunji and Tucker and the girls; Wattle, Lilli, Matilda and Joey. These adorable pups were named by our Puppy Pals, whose monthly gift to Guide Dogs gives them the opportunity to follow these pups on their incredible journey from little balls of fluff to qualified Guide Dogs or Therapy Dogs.
The Australiana litter was born on 5 June to three-and-a-half-year-old, Fraya, who was selected to be a Breeding Dog due to her confidence, gentle nature and beautiful bright personality. This is Fraya’s second and final litter for Guide Dogs and she has proven to be a fabulous and devoted mum.
Once the pups are five to six weeks of age, they will transition into the Guide Dog Centre with Fraya there to help them settle in. After this, Fraya will go back to her home with one of our amazing volunteers while her pups take the next steps in their exciting journey.
If you would like to be at the heart of their adventures, you can become a Puppy Pal by calling our friendly team on 1800 436 364 or by visiting nsw.guidedogs.com.au/puppy-pals.
Graduations
Our service dog Graduations are up and running again!
In early May, we were lucky enough to meet some of our wonderful donors in person when we celebrated the graduation of our latest group of service dogs.
In an information-packed session, our guests heard from representatives from the Client and Dogs Services teams who were closely accompanied by four wriggling puppies keen to make their mark on the occasion!
Next we were privileged to welcome our special guest speaker, Ingrid Barnes who joined us with her Guide Dog, Banner. Prior to being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in her early twenties, Ingrid’s life was jam-packed with work, study, travel and the performing arts but as her eyesight deteriorated that world began to close in on her. She spoke of how “learning to be blind isn’t easy” and that being matched with a Guide Dog was something she had longed for more than anything. After many months of waiting, finally in June of 2019, Ingrid met her new best friend, Banner.
As her partnership with Banner has grown, so has Ingrid’s confidence to once again navigate busy places, get on trains and even planes.
Not only has Ingrid been able to regain her independence but having Banner in her life has opened up so many new opportunities – not least of which is their tireless work with some of the state transport organisations to promote the work of Guide Dogs and advocate for improved accessibility in public places for people with low vision or blindness.
As Ingrid said in her closing words “I’m not alone anymore, I have a Guide Dog I can trust and keep me from harm.”
It costs more than $50,000 to breed, raise and train just one Guide Dog puppy and with hundreds being trained each year, every dollar raised throughout PAWGUST counts. The funds you raise during PAWGUST will go towards helping to breed, raise and train the next generation of working Guide Dogs so that we can create a world where everyone who needs a Guide Dog, has a Guide Dog.
As well as helping Guide Dogs organisations around the country transform lives, PAWGUST participants (and their dogs!) will gain physical and mental health benefits from the challenge, leading to happier and healthier lives all round.
Last year PAWGUST participants raised a record-breaking $1.7 million dollars for Guide Dogs Australia – that’s enough to breed, raise and train 34 Guide Dog puppies across the country! So, don’t delay, sign up today at pawgust.com.au and receive your free PAWdometer when you raise $29 within the first 48 hours of registering.
Partner update
Coles customers are helping to change lives, one coin at a time
They might not bark or wag their tails, but the iconic Guide Dogs Australia Donation Dogs at Coles are hard at work raising funds. In fact, since 1982, Coles shoppers have donated more than $11 million in loose change to Guide Dogs organisations around Australia. The money raised from the Donation Dogs, located at more than 800 Coles stores across the country, has supported the breeding, raising and training of hundreds of Guide Dogs for Australians who have low vision or blindness.
“We’re immensely proud of our long-standing partnership with Guide Dogs Australia to help people with low vision or blindness to stay connected to their communities. We’re also incredibly grateful to our customers and team members for helping to raise funds for such an important, trusted charity.” – Sally Fielke, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Coles.
Coles has been involved with Guide Dogs Australia since the late 1930s when Lady Margaret Coles helped to establish a Guide Dogs Service in Australia. Since then, the partnership between Coles and Guide Dogs Australia has expanded to include hosting hundreds of Donation Dogs, selling reusable community bags to raise funds and implementing customer accessibility initiatives.
So when you are next shopping at Coles and have a coin or two… loose change is always welcomed!
Our supporters
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