The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) is proudly supporting Herd of Hope (HoH) in its unique cattle drive to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation in Australia and is urging other businesses and organisations to join the cause.
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Herd of Hope plans to muster 40 head of cattle on Bondi Beach on Saturday, March 17, 2018, each animal sponsored by individuals, companies or organisations to the tune of $1000.
The RAS will sponsor three of the 40 animals.
The cattle will be transported to Bondi then herded into a specially-erected enclosure on the southern end of Bondi Beach at daybreak where dignitaries and guests will gather to support the very important organ donation and transplant causes.
At the end of the morning’s activities, the animals will be transported to their new home on a property near Goulburn, NSW.
Sadly Australia has one of the lowest organ donation rates in the world at less than 20 donors per million registered and 1500 Australians waiting for a transplant at any given time.
One in three organ and tissue recipients is from rural or regional NSW though every transplant is conducted in a tertiary hospital in a major city.
“It is important to raise awareness of organ donation and the Herd of Hope charity is doing so in a unique way,” event organiser Lizzie Mazur said today.
“Bringing cattle onto Bondi Beach will create conversations about the differences in living in the country to city life, raising the issue of access to health care and mental health services.
"Through this event we want all Australians to discuss the positive impact organ and tissue donation has on people's lives. But we also want to highlight that if you live in rural and regional Australia the access to services is often limited.
“Through our charity we will help those in rural areas have improved access to mental health support by developing initiatives for both donor families and transplant recipients. It is a very exciting time to make a positive change," Lizzie Mazur said.
HoH is working with the Organ and Tissue authority to improve the support services available to donor families. Money raised will assist in establishing specialised grief camps for children affected through organ donation.
Undoolya Station has offered the property in the North Territory to run the camps.
Murray Wilton, General Manager Agriculture and Sydney Royal Easter Show has confirmed the RAS’ wholehearted support for the Herd of Hope campaign.
“We at the RAS are pleased to be able to support Herd of Hope in this very important effort.
“Support for rural and regional NSW is very much at the heart of what we are about and when approached by Herd of Hope organisers we were only too happy to be involved,” Murray Wilton said.
Sponsorship of HoH cattle is still available via the website; www.herdofhope.com.au