Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We often hear the phrase, 'ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things'. I rise today to share the story of Australians who volunteer for See Differently and Australians who benefit from that dedication. See Differently with the Royal Society for the Blind is one of South Australia's oldest charities, founded in 1884. The goal in 1884 was to assist Australians who are blind or vision impaired to achieve the quality of life to which they aspire. That goal has not changed but can only be achieved with the support of volunteers who donate their time and energy to train and develop guide-dog puppies to assist people with vision impairment.

See Differently is now South Australia's leading provider of low vision services and products and is headquartered in Gilles Plains, in the electorate of Sturt. See Differently imagines a world where people with low vision, blindness or emotional support needs live with freedom, confidence and purpose, supported by a caring community that values inclusion for all.

At a recent ceremony to celebrate the retirement of 10 remarkable guide dogs and the graduation of five freshly minted beautiful and intelligent guide dog puppies—Bixby, Bonnie, Vesper, Cookie and Zinni—I met several vision impaired people who described the freedom, companionship and independence their guide dogs give them, including Mike, a resident of Sturt—and his guide dog, Stirling, who was by his side. Mike, as well as Millie and Sarah, who I also met, described their guide dogs as their best friend, their loyal partner. And they shared that they could not live their lives without them, that they would be lost without them, because a guide dog is a vision impaired person's eyes to the world. They open new doors to independence and opportunity.

The guide dogs do not train themselves; they are trained over two years by teams of volunteers to prepare them for life with a vision impaired person or as an assistance dog for veterans. There are currently more than 160 clients living with a See Differently or assistance dog, with approximately 20 new teams graduating each year and around 60 puppies at various stages of training. As well as volunteers, the continuation of this service relies on donations. Ms Valerie Cameron, a resident of Sturt, is one of the largest individual living donors at See Differently with the Royal Society for the Blind. Together with her late husband, Peter, they began donating to See Differently a decade ago. In addition to her significant financial contribution, Valerie attends graduation events, visits the puppies in training and provides baked goods for the See Differently team. In recognition of her financial support, her loyalty and her spirit, Valerie is a life governor of See Differently, and I thank you, Valerie, from the bottom of my heart.