Summit Presentations
Around 200 people attended the first ever dog poo summit on 25 September 2003 at the Manningham Function Centre in Doncaster. A variety of experts presented different angles to solving the problem of dog poo litter.
Dr Graeme Smith, General Manager, The Lost Dogs' Home (1.13MB)
After qualifying as a vet in 1975, Dr Smith worked as a private practitioner in Ringwood. He then became the Chief Veterinarian at the RSPCA in 1981 where he established the RSPCA Veterinary Clinic and Adoption Centre.
Since 1986 he has been the General Manager at the The Lost Dogs' Home inNorth Melbourne, with duties involving:
- responsibility for gradual improvement and development of The Lost Dogs' Home as a major animal welfare organisation
- caring for 10,000 stray and unwanted dogs and 10,000 cats every year
- providing animal management services for the general public
- establishing the National Pet Register, which has more than 500,000 animals on this database
- and much more!
Contact: Lost Dogs Home, 2 Gracie Street, North Melbourne, VIC 3051. Email: graemes@dogshome.com
Virginia Jackson, Urban Policy Analyst & Town Planner (143KB)
Virginia Jackson, Harlock Jackson Principal, is one of the world's leading authorities on pet management in cities of today and tomorrow.
Virginia is an urban policy analyst and planner with a first class honours degree in town and regional planning. She worked with the City of Malvern and other consulting firms before establishing Harlock Jackson in 1990. Virginia has 15 years experience working with state/local governments and private organisations.
As a consultant, Virginia has a proven track record in:
- identifying the needs and desired outcomes of key stakeholders in urban animal management
- applying the latest thinking and research to animal management projects
- resolving specific animal management issues with a mix of regulatory and non-regulatory options.
Virginia is currently Secretary of the Victorian Division of the Royal Australian Planning Institute.
Contact: Harlock Jackson Consultants, 288 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, VIC 3065. Email: virginia@harlockjackson.com.au
Russell McMurray, Manager Policy & Education, Bureau of Animal Welfare, Department of Primary Industries (178KB)
Russell McMurray is currently the Manager, Policy and Education with the Bureau of Animal Welfare and is primarily responsible for the administration and management of the Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act 1994 and the Impounding of Livestock Act 1994.
Prior to commencing with State Government he worked in Local Government for 14 years, starting his career as an officer on the road and rising to the position of Manager with Bayside City Council.
During his career with Bayside City Council his portfolio included both Environmental Health and Animal Control services. In November 2000 his Team won the national award for Urban Animal Management Team of the Year for their strategies and dedication in promoting responsible pet ownership.
Contact: Bureau of Animal Welfare, Department of Primary Industries, 475 Mickleham Road, Attwood, VIC 3049. Email: Russell.McMurray@dpi.vic.gov.au
Terry-Ann Pert, Animal Advisory Officer, Warringah Council, NSW (421KB)
Terry-Ann Pert first began working in the area of companion animals in 1972 and joined Warringah Council, located on Sydney's northern beaches, in 1992. In 1995 Terry-Ann was named by the Australian Veterinary Association as the inaugural Urban Animal Management Australian Animal Management Officer of the Year for her innovative approach to companion animal management that included the introduction of dung beetles to clean up uncollected dog faeces.
Terry-Ann has been a member of the NSW Companion Animals Advisory Board, coordinates a group of Sydney based councils called Councils Unite for Pets and is the author of the multi-award winning Community Watch-dog Project.
Contact: Warringah Council, Civic Centre, 725 Pittwater Road, DEE WHY, NSW 2099. Email: pertt@warringah.nsw.gov.au
Dani Lloyd-Prichard, Lake Macquarie Council, NSW (658KB)
Dani Lloyd-Prichard grew up in Lake Macquarie and studied at Newcastle University, the Australian National University and the Northern Territory University. She worked as a government (water quality) scientist in the Northern Territory for 6 years before moving back to Lake Macquarie with her family (currently 1 husband, 3 kids, 1 puppy, 1 guinea pig, 1 frog, 6 fish, 100+ silkworms...) in 1999. Since then she's worked with environmental management consultants involved in stormwater management and education projects. For the past 3 years, Dani's been employed by Lake Macquarie City Council as their Waste Education / Project Officer and has spent most of that time developing, delivering and evaluating anti-litter campaigns (as well as working in the education centre at the Council's worm farm - but that's another story!).
Contact: City of Lake Macquarie, 126-138 Main Road, Speers Point, NSW, 2284. Email: dlloydprichard@lakemac.nsw.gov.au
Dr Ted Donelan, Vet to Manningham Council (87KB)
Dr Ted Donelan has lived in Manningham for nearly 30 years where he is well known to residents as their local veterinary practitioner. His practices have provided veterinary services to the local municipality for more than 15 years and he is an active member of the local community.
Dr Donelan has a long record of involvement in animal welfare and urban animal management at local, state and national levels. He is a Fellow of the Australian Veterinary Association, a Senior Academic Associate of the University of Melbourne and is Senior Veterinarian to the Australian Platypus Conservancy.
Dr Donelan was a founding member of the residents' committee that worked with council to develop the Manningham Domestic Animal Strategy and that continues as FOMDAC - Friends of Manningham's Dogs and Cats.
Anna Lindars, President, Alma Dog Club, St Kilda East (no paper provided)
Anna Lindars has been in the dog business since 1987, specialising in behaviour, training and walking. Anna finds that observing dogs and other owners when she is walking the dogs enriches her understanding of behaviours and has also led to the development and confirmation of some illuminating theories.
Anna established 'Alma Dogs' in 1995 in response to a threat to ban dogs from parks by the then City of Port Phillip Commissioners. This successful lobby group changed the minds of the commissioners and has worked closely with the elected council to accommodate the needs of dogs and their owners as well as non-dog owners ever since.
Carmel Shute, Media Officer, City of Port Phillip (63KB)
Carmel Shute has been the council media officer at the City of Port Phillip for the past six years. In her previous incarnations, she has worked as an historian and an industrial officer for the ABC.
Her dog poo campaign won the 2000 PRIA Victorian Awards (Government Communications category and Community Communications category) and a highly recommended in the PRIA National Golden Target Awards.
In 1999, she was a co-winner of the 1999 PRIA Victorian and National Award for Gateway, No Way! Campaign (against highrises on the foreshore). She dreams of having enough time to write a crime novel about development battles in St Kilda.
Contact: City of Port Phillip, cnr Carlisle Street & Brighton Road, St Kilda, VIC, 3182. Email: cshute@portphillip.vic.gov.au
Karen Cosson, Litter Champion for the Victorian Litter Action Alliance (provided demonstration of dog poo litter prevention kit)
The litter champion project is an ambitious and pioneering project: one person in Victoria focused solely on litter across all issues coming under the Victorian Litter Action Alliance (VLAA).
Karen's job is to work towards achieving major improvements in the coordination and integration of best practice litter prevention programs across Victoria as well as to raise the profile of litter within the Victorian community.
Since starting in May 2002, Karen has been busy developing best practice litter prevention kits, and guiding their implementation, on cigarette butts, building sites and now dog poo!
Contact: VLAA, Level 2 478 Albert Street, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002. Email: kcosson@litter.vic.gov.au
