Our cover star: Lucy
Our cover star is Guide Dog Lucy. Supported by a donor who left a gift in their Will, Lucy has finished her Guide Dog training.
With your support, there is no limit to the independence and freedom that Lucy can bring to a person with low vision or blindness.
Welcome
Meet the team
My name is Lauren, and I was first introduced to Guide Dogs Victoria as a Client when I was 15. I participated in various group programs that allowed me to develop my independent navigation skills and build connections with a wonderful peer group. I am now a proud member of the Customer Support Team at our Kew campus.
I live with Stargardt disease, a rare genetic condition that leads to the slow loss of central vision in both eyes. I was diagnosed at age 10, and this condition affects my central vision, making it difficult for me to read, recognise faces, and drive.
Unlike most people with Stargardt disease who see grey, black, or hazy spots in the centre of their vision, my experience is slightly different. Rather than there being a dark hole or black spot, it feels like my brain is constantly trying to fill in what is missing or what it thinks should be there. For example, if I look at a brick wall, my brain will fill in the middle part with blurry bricks because I know that’s what should be there. While my central vision is blurry, I still have good peripheral vision, so I tend to scan my environment a lot from left to right.
I choose not to use a cane or Guide Dog as a mobility aid, and instead rely on my functional vision. I use screen reader software called ‘JAWS’ (Job Access with Speech) and a magnifier to efficiently perform my duties.
My varied role at Guide Dogs Victoria includes greeting Clients and visitors, onboarding new Clients to receive our specialised support services, and handling various Client administrative tasks.
Approximately 85% of blind people still have some functional vision, which is why it’s not uncommon to see a blind person with a Guide Dog or cane out and about doing things that we would think only people with “normal vision” can do, like using their phone, posting on social media, travelling, or reading a menu at a restaurant. I am a perfect example of how blindness is a spectrum and that there is no one way to be blind.
As someone with lived experience of having low vision, it brings me a lot of joy to support our Clients in accessing our services, allowing them to achieve their individual goals. If you ever visit our Kew campus, please be sure to say hello to me at reception.
You can read more about Stargardt disease in this edition of Guide Dog Tales.
International Guide Dog Day 2024
This year we celebrated International Guide Dog Day at Studley Grounds with a Pup-Up Café.
The theme of the day was the important message of “anywhere you can go, Guide Dogs can go too”.
We were so excited to welcome members of the public, volunteers and donors to this exciting event.
The highlight of the event was hearing from three Guide Dogs Victoria Clients, Mel, Erin and Lucy and hearing about their experience of having a Guide Dog.
The Café event also included activities such as walking blindfolded and guessing what was in the box. This gave our guests a unique opportunity to walk in the shoes of someone with low vision or blindness.
Are you ready to take the Guide Dogs Puppy Pledge?
We’re looking for passionate kids aged 5-18 to help raise vital funds for Guide Dogs Victoria.
The top two individuals or teams that raise the most money for Guide Dogs will win a very exciting puppy naming prize. One lucky individual or team will also win a prize for the most creative fundraiser!
Dogs off Duty
Lucy and Dottie
“If there is one thing you must know about my Guide Dog, Dottie, it’s that she LOVES soft toys. In fact, when she isn’t working, you’ll hardly see her without a soft toy in her mouth or tucked between her paws. After arriving home from a day at work the first thing Dottie does is run to her toy box and pick out a soft toy, usually she picks her pink elephant which is the first toy I bought her when she came home with me two years ago. Sometimes, she will nap in her beanbag, cuddled up with her toy, and other times when she needs to expel some excess energy she will parade around my apartment and make sure I can hear she’s found the toy’s squeaker. Sometimes, I even wonder if she’d pick her soft toys over food!”
Lucy – Guide Dog Handler
The newest Puppy Pals litter
We are so excited to announce some of our newest Puppy Pals that you can follow on their Guide Dog journey by donating a monthly gift.
The newest names of the Herbs & Spices litter were suggested by our regular donors and include Ginger, Sumac, Pepper, Chilli, Clove, Sage, and Saffron.
To become a Puppy Pal and follow these pups on their journey to becoming Guide Dogs or Therapy Dogs please visit here.
Campus redevelopment update
It is exciting to see seven years of planning and fundraising turning a vision into reality for our state-of-the-art sensory campus. We are now 90 per cent of the way to completing the new buildings.
Our teams are also planning the ways we will welcome back our Clients to enjoy the facilities and for the community to restart utilising this historical site.
We can’t wait to share our special Client, dog enrichment and training-focused spaces with you.
The team look forward to inviting you to join us for an opening event later this year. In the meantime, you can watch this short clip which showcases an aerial view of how the campus build is progressing.
Legacy
Kelly is already a gift, but will she become a Guide Dog?
As the flagship puppy of our gifts in Wills litter, we have high hopes for this special little girl. Kelly’s training was made possible by a generous bequest from the late Mr Adrianus Van de Bunt. Mr Van de Bunt was a steadfast supporter of Guide Dogs Victoria, and when he wrote his Will, he chose to leave a lasting legacy by donating a portion of his estate to the charity that he believed in. Kelly (a family name) is the puppy that was named in his honour.
Now eight-months-old, Kelly is loving life with her puppy raisers, Darren and Kate. Kelly is the ninth puppy this down-to-earth couple have raised for Guide Dogs Victoria, so her paws are in very experienced and devoted hands.
Kelly’s current home is a five-acre puppy paradise complete with three whippets, three miniature donkeys, and plenty of wild rabbits! Darren and Kate work in Melbourne so their unique circumstances give Kelly the advantage of growing up to be very comfortable in both country and city environments.
When Kelly is at work, she is quite the celebrity. Everyone knows her. ANZ, where Darren and Kate work, has been very supportive of them bringing a Guide Dog in training into the office.
Many years ago, Darren became great friends with one of his co-workers, a Guide Dog Handler. Ever since Darren has had a real passion for Guide Dogs. Darren and Louise believe that Guide Dogs give people independence, freedom, and choice.
Darren says, “These dogs are a product of love. It doesn’t matter if Kelly grows up to be a Breeding Dog, Therapy Dog or a Guide Dog. She will change someone’s life forever. She has already made such a difference in ours.”
“When I found out Kelly was made possible by a gift in Will, we did initially feel some pressure. Knowing that someone has made such a special investment in her, inspires me to do the best I can to get her across the line. A gift in your Will is a gift that extends. When we do something so selfless, that is when we are the best version of ourselves. One of these dogs can end up helping someone with mobility, PTSD, and so much more. When you leave a gift in your Will, it’s like a time capsule of happiness.”
Darren continues, “Kelly is great in the office, great at stairs and elevators. She is great at heights. She loves the revolving doors in my office building. She is great at train stations, great in the car and great at toileting. She rarely complains and is eager to please.”
Stay tuned for more updates on Kelly and the gifts in Wills litter!
To find out how you can change the life of someone with blindness or low vision by leaving a gift in your Will, please contact Planned Giving Administrator (and Guide Dog Handler!) Erin Goedhart on 9372 4180.
Eye health
Spotlight on Stargardt disease
Let’s shine a spotlight on Stargardt disease, a rare but impactful inherited eye condition affecting central vision and potentially leading to blindness.
What is Stargardt disease?
Stargardt disease, also known as juvenile macular degeneration, is a genetic disorder affecting the retina’s central region, the macula. This area is crucial for sharp vision needed for activities like reading and recognising faces. The disease leads to progressive central vision loss.
Who gets Stargardt disease and how common is it?
Stargardt disease is relatively rare, affecting about 1 in 8,000 to 10,000 people worldwide. It is usually inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, requiring both parents to carry the gene mutation. In some cases, it occurs due to spontaneous genetic mutations.
What causes Stargardt disease?
Stargardt disease is caused by mutations to the ABCA4 gene. This gene is responsible for producing a protein that helps remove toxic byproducts from the retina. When this process is impaired, these byproducts accumulate, damaging the retina.
How do I know if I have Stargardt disease?
Symptoms typically start before age 20 and include progressive central vision loss, blurry or distorted vision, difficulty adapting to lighting changes, and dark spots in central vision. Diagnosis requires an eye examination revealing yellowish-white flecks in the retina and may be confirmed with specialised imaging and genetic testing.
Is there treatment for Stargardt disease?
There is currently no cure, but research is ongoing into treatments like gene therapy, stem cell therapy, and drugs to slow progression. Low vision rehabilitation services can help manage the condition by maximising remaining vision and improving quality of life.
Family camp
In the latest school holidays, families from Victoria attended the Guide Dogs Victoria Family Camp held at the picturesque Oasis Campsite in Mount Evelyn.
The camp, which was supported by the Barr Family Foundation, challenged the families to traverse the Australian bush and participate in exciting activities.
The three day camp was specifically tailored to children with low vision or blindness. One of their favourite activities was the huge flying fox, situated 10 metres in the air, propelling the person 90 metres to the other side. There were a few shaky legs getting up to the platform, but with some great encouragement, the group was one-byone catapulted over to the other side.
The aim of this program was to bring families together and increase their understanding of the skills required to support the development of independent travel in the community, completion of daily living activities and having fun!
Client spotlight
Bringing Blind Tennis to the Olympics
With the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics just around the corner, Guide Dogs Victoria Client Rob has started a strong campaign to have the sport recognised at the world’s most prestigious sporting event.
“We’re that close, we can smell it” he says.
“The requirement is having a certain amount of countries around the world having Blind Tennis as a sport, we’re only about one or two countries off reaching that.”
“The game is really growing and it’s a great time to be part of it,” he said.
“It’s pretty close to becoming a parasport. Even if we’re not in the Paralympics, we’re becoming an established sport very quickly. My goal is to see the sport become acknowledged on a global scale.”
Rob says in 2022, the game had only 30 state level players. Last year that number jumped to 70 blind and low vision competitive players in the national competition.
Many more people with blindness or low vision are just picking up rackets to play for fun.
Blind Tennis is split into classifications according to the player’s vision and uses a modified ball that jingles. In the B1 category, players have no functional vision and wear a blindfold. They compete on a smaller court surrounded by tactile lines and with a lower net.
In category B2 and upwards, players have increasingly better eyesight and the court is bigger, with no tactile lines. In B1 and B2, the ball is permitted to bounce three times before each shot, while in B3 two bounces are allowed and in B4, in which players have a greater amount of sight, it may bounce only once.
Rob plays in the B2 category, having only four per cent peripheral vision.
“I can’t see the net if it’s one metre in front of me,” he says.
Rob lost his sight 13 years ago from Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis.
His Guide Dog Hamish is his companion and eyes, on and off the court.
“He is just such a good dog,” Rob said.
“He sits on the side next to the umpire’s chair and apparently his head goes back and forth watching.”
Hamish has also become quite the frequent flyer, accompanying Rob across the country for tennis tournaments.
Rob hopes the Australian Open will soon host the Blind Tennis national tournament, to encourage larger crowds and showcase the sport as its popularity grows.
Impact
Recycling at Guide Dogs Victoria
Guide Dogs Victoria is excited to be a donation partner of the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme (CDS)! We are all committed to creating a sustainable future for generations to come, and even our office staff are participating.
At our Kew campus, we have recently installed dedicated receptacles to collect containers eligible for recycling through the CDS. Each eligible container is worth 10 cents and this can be donated directly to Guide Dogs Victoria.
How you can donate:
1. Collect eligible drink containers. Look for the 10-cent mark to confirm eligibility.
2. Find your nearest refund point.
3. Download your zone operators free app via your smartphone app store and search for Guide Dogs Victoria or enter the barcode number below.
Barcode number: C2000009593
We are also proud to announce our newest ambassador – Joost Baker. As a world renowned environmentalist, we are so excited to be working with Joost on the final stages of our campus redevelopment and learning about how Guide Dogs Victoria can be more environmentally sustainable.
A decade of supporting people and animals
This year we celebrate ten wonderful years of partnership with the Petstock Foundation, who are committed to empowering a better future for pets and people.
Over that time Guide Dogs has received over $1 million from the Petstock Foundation so that we can enact that positive change and realise our mutual goal of empowering people through their connection with animals, in our case, our worldclass dogs.
Partners such as the Petstock Foundation do so much more than provide funding. During their time as a valued Guide Dogs partner, the team at Petstock have:
- Encouraged suppliers and customers to participate in raising awareness and support through instore and online campaigns.
- Pounded the pavement for PAWGUST.
- Hosted puppy raising drives in-store, helping us to recruit our essential volunteer Puppy Raisers, on whom our dog socialisation and Puppy Raising Program so heavily depends.
- Supported our Puppy Raising Program by following the journeys of 16 pups including naming them and receiving in-store visits.
Our thanks to the team at the Petstock Foundation and Petstock team members for sharing our vision for empowered futures.
A valued legacy
Lady Coles became interested in bringing Guide Dogs to Australia in the 1930s. Once Guide Dogs was established here in the 1950s she became one of our most enthusiastic supporters, making and selling jam to fundraise, painting walls in the Guide Dogs Victoria Centre and encouraging everyone she knew to join her in supporting people with low vision or blindness. Coles has continued this fine tradition by hosting our Donation Dogs in-store for over 40 years.
This year, Coles added to the $14 million already donated to Guide Dogs by their customers by unleashing a fundraising campaign in store and online. Beginning on International Guide Dog Day and running for four weeks, Coles donated to Guide Dogs five cents from every purchase of dog food and treats sold.
The hundreds of thousands of dollars donated* will help ensure that future generations of Australians living with low vision or blindness receive the essential support they need to achieve their goals and live the lives they choose.
*Capped at $300,000.
Our Partners
Thank you to our partners:
Your donations to Guide Dogs Victoria help us to continue our important work, including matching Guide Dogs and Therapy Dogs, Orientation and Mobility services and Occupational Therapy through almost 3,000 Client programs.
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