Local vets band together to help animals, volunteers in Australia fires

From left, Cherie Hawkins, Sarah Nation and Kerrie Hine were the force behind the donation initiative. Photo / Caitlan Johnston

The staff at V.E Veterinary Services in Te Awamutu have been blown away by the response to a Facebook post calling for donations to help the Australia bush fires.

In just one week, around $3500 in money was raised and over $1000 worth of supplies was donated.

Vet nurse Sarah Nation made the Facebook post and was then helped by fellow vet nurse Kerri Hine and receptionist Cherie Hawkins when the donations started coming in the door.

"We just feel quite helpless but this has been a way that we've be able to help," said Sarah.

"And it's really quite close to home for us. We work with animals. If we could have gone over there we would have," added Kerrie.

The first donation was made just 30 minutes after the post was made.

They received cages full of medical supplies, knitted koala mittens, supplies from Te Awamutu Saddlery and mānuka honey wound pads donated by Mānuka Honey.

Kerri said she spent at least one full day at work just itemising and packing boxes of supplies.

The team at V.E Veterinary Services in Te Awamutu received two car loads worth of donated supplies. Photo / Supplied.

"We expected us as a clinic would just be sending products over but stuff just kept coming and coming from so many people in the community," said Kerri. "The community is just incredible, all this from just one Facebook post."

Some of the money donated was used to purchase medical supplies from the clinic and then over $900 was also transferred to Australia wildlife rescue organisation WIRES.

The idea to make the Facebook post came from Sarah seeing 'Donate NZ wide for the animal victims in the Australian Fires' organisation page on Facebook which was rounding up supplies.

The organisation had drop-off points all over the country but not one in Te Awamutu so Sarah decided to make V.E Veterinary Services a local drop-off.

They filled two cars with boxes and delivered it all to the closest drop-off point, the Saddlery Warehouse in Cambridge. They also threw in biscuits and chocolates for the volunteers in Australia.

"Hopefully they realised that those weren't for the koalas," said Kerri.