The Kids Are OK
By Bev Jordan
Horses, dogs, birds and goats called Castle Hill Showground home during the worst of this week’s flooding.
One of the first to arrive on Sunday (March 21) was Windsor High School Agriculture Teacher Elizabeth Ruis with the school’s 13 prize-winning dairy goats.
The determined teacher made a threehour journey from her home to take the school’s much-loved herd to safety ahead of the floods.
In the 22 years, she’s been teaching at the school this is the first flood evacuation she has had to undertake.
When the Hills and Hawkesbury Community News dropped in to Castle Hill Showground on Tuesday (March 23) Year 9 student Laura Shaw and her mum had turned up to care for the goats and give her teacher a much-earned break.
Mrs Ruis said: It’s been great to be here, it is clean and dry and they are safe”.
She said having the AWL mobile vet truck on hand had been excellent
The determined teacher spent four days caring for the goats at Castle Hill Showground and took them back to Windsor High on Thursday (March 25).
Their next big outing is to Hawkesbury Showground on April 25 when all 13 are entered in the annual Hawkesbury Show.
Local Land Services spokeswoman said the evacuation centre at Castle Hill Showground had provided shelter for just over 60 animals, 34 horses, 10 dogs and 2 birds as well as the 13 goats.
Horse owner Coco Miles (pictured on the front page with Sapphire and Trigger) took 11 of their showjumpers to Castle Hill Showground and neighbouring equestrian Ludovic Bernadat took seven
The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Local Land Services are working together as Agriculture and Animal Services Functional Area – AASFA – to assist landholders and communities with animal welfare-related issues arising from the current fflood emergency in NSW.
This includes the provision of emergency fodder, animal assessment and veterinary assistance, stock euthanasia and disposal, livestock feeding and management advice, and care of animals in evacuation centres.
Anyone wishing to register for assistance, for emergency fodder or livestock support should call the Agriculture and Animal Services Hotline on 1800 814 647.
Landholders can also register damage and losses through the primary industries natural disaster damage survey, a simple online survey to record damage to primary production and animals from natural disasters such as floods, fires, and storms.
To report damage, submit a survey bit.ly/damage_survey
