Meet FAR Vice President Carol Slater and learn how she became involved with Farm Animal Rescue, and a little of her life as a volunteer.
"It's difficult to witness and document their suffering" Carol
In the beginning…
I've been working with FAR since 2011, before the sanctuary was set up and ready to take animals in. It was about the same time I had my first sale yard visit. That really affected me, profoundly, and it pushed me to do more for farm animals.
I met Brad and he told me about his plans to start a farm animal sanctuary. It was going to be the first one for the Brisbane area and was very much needed. I particularly loved that the educational component was a big factor, on- and off-sanctuary.
What do you do?
My volunteer work is incredibly varied at FAR. It's really developed my knowledge of farm animals, as well as event coordination and animal advocacy. As a tour guide on our regular open days, I can draw on all my experiences, good and bad, to educate visitors.
It’s also pushed me into video editing, because we had no access to anyone who had those skills, so YouTube tutorials became my go-to.
What’s involved?
Animal cruelty investigations have been a huge part of my role at FAR. It's quite difficult to see (and document) their suffering, but having been a photographer for so many years, I wanted to use my skill. Before getting involved in animal advocacy, I was a rock ’n’ roll photographer, working for FOX Media, MySpace, FasterLouder, covering small gigs around Brisbane and bigger festivals like Blues Fest and Splendour in The Grass.
Submitting loads of reports and witness statements to authorities is very time-consuming and tedious, but I’ll continue to do it...
Let’s talk favourites…
All the residents have my heart, but I do have a special bond with Heather the pig, who arrived with three others (Thomas, Holly and Howard) in July 2012. I'd never had connections with pigs before that, but I quickly learnt just how intelligent and emotional they are. When she was younger, we even used to play hide and seek!
Surprise us…
I think one of the most surprising things about me would be my love of horror films and the fact that I'm a grandmother to three beautiful grandkids. They’re 10, 15 and 17 years old, and I play a very active role in their lives, including being there for all three births!
Check out Carol's photography business here
