New volunteers arrive pretty regularly at Esther Honey. We've already had just under fifty volunteers for 2011 with a couple of team members coming back for seconds. This week three new volunteers begin their tenure: Marja, a vet from Scotland, as well as Heather and Melody, two vet students from California and Ohio. Each is staying for about three weeks. I'm sure the vet students will learn a lot from their experience as the cases we treat here are different from the cases they would typically see in practice in the US or the UK. Welcome ladies.

 

This week we received donated roofing material made from palm fronds to create shade for the hospitalized patients. These fronds were kindly woven by Elmah McBirney who looks after a lot of animals herself and has always supported the Esther Honey Foundation and the work that we do here in various ways. Last year she made a dozen or so surgical drapes for us when our old ones were wearing away. She’s a real blessing to animals on this island. The old roofing material was taken down creating a mess as the frayed bits and pieces spread out on top of the gravel. The clinic cats, Craig and Orlando, seemed to enjoy the debris and drooled and rolled around in it.

More donations arrived today from all over the world! Michelle sent us some animal shampoo and frontline spray from Australia, also thoughtfully tucking in some music for the car as our CD selection is pretty minimal. We've all memorized the country album that is in the car now including Michelle who I'm pretty sure knows all the tracks.

We received an additional surprise from Scotland's Glasgow Veterinary School, a letter announcing that Esther Honey was one of the beneficiaries of a student fundraiser. I'm guessing the students produced a naked calendar which they sold to raise money for their favorite charities. We were elated to find a cheque enclosed for $400.00 GBP! These funds will go a long way here in the Cook Islands. Thanks guys! I'll get a copy of the calendar which includes a photo of Elspeth, a current volunteer, and Dawn Rogerson, who volunteered last year.

Elspeth’s mum put the icing on the cake by sending a lovely note and package that was filled with suture and bandaging material. Just what we need! Thanks mum!

It’s great to get these little care packages. I love picking things up at the post office which aren't bills.

In the pictures we have up top the three new volunteers from left to right: Heather, Melody, and Marja. The next picture is of Jeff putting up the weaved palm fronds on the side of the "Monkey Cage". And last we have a picture of our supervisor who mostly fell asleep on the job.