Helen was engaged by a visiting vet service whilst I was Chief Executive Officer at Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council and more recently whilst I have been the Director of Community Services with Aurukun Shire Council. I have always found Helen to be compassionate in her work with animals in our animal health programs. Helen has exceptional skills in communicating with both indigenous and non-indigenous families. These skills have allowed her to provide information and education workshops to family members on basic animal health and surgery. In the time Helen has been engaged to assist Animal Control Officers in our local government environment, I have always found her to act in an exemplary manner and abide by our Code of Conduct and cultural protocols. I would have no hesitation in recommending Helen…

Helen is incredibly passionate about her work with indigenous communities, has successfully implemented, and executed numerous health programs for both the local people and animals across various remote regions of Far North Queensland over the past 10 years. Helen has a natural rapport with people and has always been polite, respectful and courteous when dealing with often delicate animal management situations. Similarly, Helen is a natural dog whisperer and her intuition, compassion and genuine care for the animals in her charge is an absolute credit to her and one of her most admirable qualities. Helen is extremely organised, efficient and hardworking. Her dedication, diligence and outstanding work ethic are integral in ensuring the ongoing success of these vital programs in indigenous communities. Helen's enthusiasm is infectious and she has a vibrant personality that makes her an absolute pleasure to work with.

As the Senior Compliance and Animal Welfare Officer for the Aurukun Community in Far North Queensland. I found that in her role as Veterinary Nurse she offered an extremely helpful, compassionate, and knowledgeable approach to interacting with the Local Aurukun People. She always provided a sensible approach to education on the importance of animal care and health. She was always approachable and thoroughly explained what actions she was taking to assist with animal health and care, providing insightful low-cost alternatives to management of animal health, always showing respect to individuals Helen also demonstrated an understanding of Council's Local Laws and the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 and how to apply them in an investigation process for compliance of the Animal Management. Helen demonstrated the ability to quickly learn new things, and she would be an excellent asset…

When Helen first came to Wujal Wujal, a lot of dogs had mange, worms and diseases. Many were neglected, there were pups being born and dying young from parvo and dogs untreated from pig hunting and car injuries. This situation totally changed in Helen's time. The dogs became healthy, they were being wormed, immunised and treated. The human owners learned to look after their dogs and treat them properly. Every dog in Wujal Wujal knows Helen, and is only too happy to take anything she offers (often small mince balls with worm tablets in them). The dogs also happily get locked up in the pound, they will go anywhere with Helen. Helen identified the issues and worked hard to get desexing and other operations done by qualified veterinarians, all with huge success and positive outcomes. The way people treat and look after their dogs has totally changed because of the way Helen has educated the community and the council staff. We have a healthier, happier community. Many visitors comment on how healthy the dogs are at Wujal Wujal. Without Helens dedication, love for animals and hard work we would not be in this situation today. Wujal Wujal Community is extremely appreciative of Helens great work.

The outcome from Helen attending Kowanyama has made a huge difference within the community. Helen is now well known in Kowanyama as she has consistently been in community every few months to help the Animal Management Officer. Helen administers anti-parasitic (worming/flea & tick), provides first aid, welfare checks, support and training for Animal Management Officer and educating pet owners. Helen also provides trained assistance to the Vet that attends every 3 months and aids in surgeries. Kowanyama has found it beneficial to have someone with veterinary knowledge on the ground as we do not have a permanent vet in community. Helen is a kind-hearted, passionate and community minded individual that has put in a lot of time and effort to gain the trust of both community members and their animals.

We trialled having a nurse come in with the vet to assist during visits late last year. Initially, the cost was up for discussion, but we thought we would trial a visit and see how it went. The results spoke for themselves. We had the largest number of dogs de-sexed in a single visit as our vet was able to stay and keep operating while Helen (with assistance from the Rangers) picked up and dropped off dogs and saw to minor issues and injuries of animals. The community response was so positive to Helen and her approach to work that we already have another 30 dogs booked in for the next vet visit in March 2022. We are now looking at flying Helen into community a few days earlier than the vet as so many community members want to see her when she arrives. All in all, having Helen assist with the vet was a good decision for Council as we have seen results that we haven’t before.