Meet The Team

Anne is a Content Writer who calls the remote desert township of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia home. Anne has worked with Furmentality since its inception. The idea of a charity which feeds pets of people who need hospital care but cannot afford animal boarding or have no-one available to help out at short notice, appealed to her, as a practical way to give back to her local community. Her personal motto has always been an active one: “Bloom where you are planted”. Short term respite pet feeding and running the autumn, winter and spring Sunday morning Todd Mall markets are activities she enjoys immensely.

Hi, I am a remote area nurse working in a remote aboriginal community in Central Australia.Some years ago, I was the Chairman of Fauna Rescue of South Australia where we coordinated and cared for all types of animals including ducks, magpies, shrikes and eagles.Over the years I have seen terrible cases of animal cruelty mainly in dogs but also cats, pigs and horses.I have a passion for improving the plight of these animals and to educate the owners of many of these animals. In the community we have educational material that is placed on community notice boards and we help with food for the animals and support for the owners eg if a community member has an appointment in hospital we will care for the animal by feeding it and making sure that it is safe by visiting their homes.We actively support the Dog Whisperer (a female aboriginal elder who takes in every stray or injured animal) by encouraging her to access the vet services when available, re-home some of the animals and give her bags of dog food. I firmly believe that when animals are cared for the lives and health of people improve. This is well documented.I’m in this organisation because I think we can make a difference in the quality of life for both the animals and owners which will result in positive health benefits.

Animals have been an essential component in my life and I have always had dogs and cats as pets until moving into a retirement apartment.The first few years of my emigration to Australia from the Czech Republic with my family were particularly hard. The stress of starting life in a new country with 2 young children, learning a new language and re-establishing my career were very big challenges. One day a stray dog called Bafala wandered into our life. This scrawny little dog moved into our home and into our hearts. He made our transition into Australian life just that much easier. Many dogs and cats followed over the years – all much-loved members of our family.

I love animals – ALL animals – so much so that I am a vegan. I am a psychiatrist working in Alice Springs with outreach to some of the most remote aboriginal communities in Australia.No matter our age, we all experience mental anguish at some time in our lives with some of us suffering ongoing mental illness. Research has shown, and I have seen first-hand, the powerful positive effects animals have on our lives; – from teaching us compassion, care, & responsibility to staving off loneliness, improving depression and decreasing anxiety as well as being a ‘ready made family’. With Furmentality I hope to highlight these positives with the ultimate aim of hospitals and health organisations incorporating animals into their general management plans. My camp dog, Lana Banana, the ‘pin up girl’ of our organisation that you can see in the above banner, visits patients on the wards and outpatient clinics. She delights everyone she meets and is a big hit with Aboriginal patients, especially when they hear she’s from the Finke community. I couldn’t ask for a better co-therapist.