East Gippsland News: 14th October, 2009

Time to assist Samoa

Local vet, Dr Dianne
recently returned
from Samoa
where she was
amongst those who
witnessed the destruction
of the tsunami
event.
Dr Dianne tells the
story:
We went to Samoa six
weeks ago on a tide of
well meaning aid work
and cultural exchange
and got washed home in
a tsunami of devastation
and loss.
Our family of two adults
and three girls embarked
on this stay hoping to
offer some skilled voluntary
work and to experience
a Pacific Island culture.
The destination was an
island I had visited in
2008 when Samoa hosted
the Pacific Commonwealth
Veterinary Association
Conference. Over
100 vets and related professionals
gathered to
discuss how to meet the
veterinary needs of the
Pacific region. It was an
inspiring group to mingle
and meet with and it was
certainly clear that with
many small Pacific nations
having no or very
few qualified vets, this
problem will require ongoing
attention and resources.
To make a contribution
to this effort and to assist
in creating a network of
professional exchange, I
volunteered to work for
six weeks at the Animal
Protection Society (APS)
of Samoa.
This charity provides
the only companion animal
veterinary service in
Samoa and is based in
Apia – the Samoan capital.
APS currently hosts
two long-term volunteer
vets but the administrative
and nursing staff,
equipment and drugs are
funded through donations
and grants.
I also worked with the
only other vet in the
country, the Principal
Government Veterinary
Officer, in her farm based
work, primarily with pigs
and cattle.
The daily clinic business
consisted primarily
of treating family owned
dogs and cats. A free desexing
clinic was run on a
weekly basis whilst I was
there to encourage locals
to get their animals
neutered.
During this time we operated
on approximately
150 dogs and cats, with
our peak at 50 on the last
day! We estimate that
there are at least 10,000
dogs in the Apia area, including
a significant stray
dog population. The majority
of animals are not
de-sexed and breeding
unchecked. APS is slowly
making an impact but
has much work ahead.
During our stay, our
three girls attended
school for a month in
Apia and enjoyed a different
sort of classroom experience,
much singing
and dancing and making
new friends.
On weekends we travelled
to other parts of
Samoa to visit the beautiful
beach fales (shelters),
snorkelling, magnificent
waterfalls and village life,
singing and dancing. The
Samoan people have a
strong village based cultural
life which revolves
around family, church
and traditional food cultivation,
gathering and
preparation.
On the last night of our
stay in Samoa we had
booked into the main
hotel in Apia. Early that
morning we were shaken
by the earthquake and
then retreated to the
safety of the hotel’s second
storey whilst sirens
wailed and church bells
clanged, warning people
of the tsunami threat.
Fortunately, my husband
Eric, who had been
out for a sunrise surf,
phoned to say he was out
of the water and had
made it to higher ground.
As the day wore on,
evacuees arrived from
the south coast, many in
their pyjamas with no
other possessions, and
the stories and photographs
of immense devastation
that had been
wreaked on the south
coast became known.
People we had met,
stayed with and socialised
with had lost
family members, their
homes and belongings
and their livelihoods.
As we boarded our
plane the next day with
enormous sadness to be
leaving a close, neighbouring
country in such a
state of disaster, we
hoped that it might be
possible to offer some
assistance to the people
of Samoa who are now
dealing with such comprehensive
losses.
Dr Dianne will
deliver a short presentation
on her experiences
in Samoa at 1pm
on Friday, October 16,
at the Department of
Sustainability and Environment
Offices (DSE),
Calvert St, Bairnsdale.
A collection box for the
Animal Protection Society
and Samoan families
can be found at DSE reception
desk or contact
Dianne for further
information. (A contact
number is available at the
East Gippsland News office.)