Last weekend, I had the pleasure of documenting a rather glamorous event held to raise money for animal welfare. The Vintage Ball for Doris is a yearly event, now in its 5th year. This amazing event was organised by one of our most loved local vintage-inspired shop, Something for Doris with the help of a group of passionate vintage and animal lovers.
My involvement with this event was all thanks to the lovely Polly! She first asked me whether I would donate to the cause and she then also encouraged me to volunteer and shoot the event. I couldn’t turn her down knowing that the profit from the night will be distributed between 3 equally deserving dog rescues: The NSW Bull Terrier Rescue, Oscar’s Law and the Wollongong Animal Rescue Network.
The event was held at Master Builders Club in Wollongong. At around 6 pm, a sparkling array of guests begin to arrive, my excitement started to rise as they flood the room, each as elegant as the next. They admired the detail in the decor, fluttered over the silent auction table, eyed the next gorgeous person to walk the room and then the games started. The room divide in three, a Ruff Ruff Roulette in one corner, a Hound Hokey in the next and a Canine Croquet! We also had a cute visitor, Basil, the Bull Terrier.
There were enchanting performances by the talented Sara Jeanne and the City Gents, an entertaining set of Charleston Dancers from Sydney Vintage Dance Studio with their quick steps and a captivating burlesque performance by the risqué Sheena Miss Demeanour.
There was a fashion parade by the “best dressed” guest who received the golden ticket, raffle drawings, an inspirational speech from two of the three organisation the event was held for and last but not least, a presentation from Jude, owner of Something for Doris and the person who dreamt up the whole event. She spoke about her dog Sindu and about how a dog is a part of your family, one of your babies. She spoke about the importance of rescuing pets rather than purchasing from pet stores and puppy farms. The room was silent as the message rang loudly.
So one take away message if you are reading this rather long rant, when you adopt a pet, be it a dog or a cat, or even a parrot, make it a rescue. There are so many innocent precious things out there that need a home. Try to avoid purchasing from pet shops and puppy farms. Remember, your pet is part of your family, it’s not “last year’s Christmas present” that you can just return or discard. They grow attached to their families, just like people tend to when they make new connections with others. Take good care of them and they will do the same to you.
My Rescue Story:
I am an advocate for dog rescues or any animal rescues really. While living in Indonesia, my mother brought home a Poodle that had been mistreated by one of the vendors that she worked with. We named her Picolli. She was 3 years old and very curly. She had her aggressive tendencies but we grew to understand each other and she was always gentle with me as I was with her. She had 5 of the cutest pups with my little pink-nosed Taro and they were my whole world.
When we moved to Australia, I was not allowed another dog, because we traveled back and forth every year and we were unsure if we could financially support it. We delayed adopting a pet. We wanted to make sure we were ready. It was as if she knew we were ready for her. Around the time business started to go well, Panda (my cat who we adopted at the age of 4) came into our lives. She literally walked into the house, jumped on me and gave me an hour long cuddle. She wanted to be there. We took her to the RSPCA and adopted her after she was checked and micro chipped. I was always a dog person, but it really is true what they say, you don’t become a cat person until you have one in your family. She is spoiled rotten but she makes us all very, very happy.
