I work within the veterinary industry, and have done for the past six years. I love my job, the good days and the bad. To work in this industry, you have to be passionate about wanting to make a difference in each and every animal’s life. If you didn’t have that passion, you wouldn’t last a week.
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We don’t do it for the money, our wages are nothing special. And we don’t do it for the recognition, because we rarely get any.
We sit with your animals when they are critically unwell, we hold them, and clean them, and tell them they’re a good boy/girl while we try everything we can to get them through the night, to ease them of any pain.
And when there’s nothing else we can do, we hold them tighter, tell them the pain will be gone soon.
We are a shoulder to lean on when it’s time to say goodbye, we shed a tear with you and help remind you of the wonderful memories you’ve made with each other. And then we have to push all that aside and move on to the next patient, because they need us now.
We finish our shifts dehydrated, because we’ve forgotten to drink water, hungry because we’ve missed our meal break, exhausted because we’ve spent 12 hours on our feet and numb from everything that’s happened. I’m hoping this letter opens the eyes of the public.
The amount of times we’ve been made to feel like we’re useless, we don’t care about anything but money, we don’t know what we’re talking about.
We can get bitten and scratched by our patients; but none of that compares to the verbal barrage we receive from ill-informed clients.
If you could only see what’s happening behind our closed doors, see that we pour our heart and soul into this job.
If you only knew that your angry words were enough to break us. That we go home, not thinking of all the good we’ve achieved, but focusing on the negative comments you’ve thrown at us.
Crying to our partners or our own animals because we can’t defend ourselves to you. Maybe then you’d be more understanding when you have to wait to be seen, or when we haven’t been able to do a simple procedure on your healthy animal due to having five emergencies walk through the door, each of them critical.
We’re taught to be strong when faced with difficult clients, to ignore those harsh words. But when is the person pointing the finger held responsible for their actions?
Name withheld at request of writer
I must say it is great to see the current members of the Victoria Police Force at the medal ceremony receiving their medals for service.
But what a pity that the department could not have shown some respect for former members for their devotion to duty over the years of their service by also having them receive their medals at the same function rather than just send them out via Australia Post, what a let down.
This is what has happened under the current leadership, once you retire you were just a number and the department does not want to know you. When I was serving I actually had an Officer tell me one of my ribbons was on the side, that was how much he knew about a Royal Humane Bronze Cross bravery award and on which side they are worn.
Robert Smallpage, Huntly
I have recently retired to a magnificent property at Sedgwick
I spent the first five years of my life in Bendigo and I started my education at Golden Square in 1943. My father was one of just two detectives in the Victoria Police covering all of the central and northern part of the state
The reason for this letter is to express my disappointment at the demise of Castlemaine Rock. I launched it into the supermarket trade.
Clarrie would bring stock to my home and I would store it under our stairs then deliver it
I have heaps of info and cuttings referencing Bendigo during the War horse racing (we bred the winners of 130+ races).
If you have any interest I will be happy to assist in anyway. I am happy to assist in way possible to rescue Castlemaine Rock at no cost
Ray Hubbard, Sedgwick
READ MORE: Hope for the rock to stay in Castlemaine
The Liberal Party haven't got a problem with women per say, they just don't want them taking the spoils off the blokes, so just stack pre selection committees, drop them to unwinnable positions after they have helped you win a seat, job done, all over red rover, the male domination lives on. Reminds us of another male institution in Bendigo that has a similar opinion of women occupying their space, but they are not on their own either.
Will us blokes ever wake up?
Ken Price, Eaglehawk
The views of Ken Price are unbelievably biased and unfair. Never any comment about conditions in Labor Victoria. Apparently he considers it a Utopia. Suggest he watch or reads Andrew Bolt. Bob Wilson, Eaglehawk.
Bob Wilson, Eaglehawk
We applaud DELWP’s investigation into the illegal poisoning of majestic wedge-tailed eagles in East Gippsland. These birds are fully protected.
Yet Freckled Ducks are protected as well as threatened in Victoria.
They are unique to Australia and are said to be one of the rarest waterbirds in the world.
Every duck shooting season hundreds of threatened freckled ducks are illegally shot on the wetlands, but compliance officers cannot witness these illegal shootings as they are forced to stand on shore because of Occupational Health and Safety regulations.
Lynn Trakell, Coalition Against Duck Shooting
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