Pet pony heartbreak
Time to talk about dying
AUSTRALIANS of all ages will be encouraged to tackle a taboo subject with loved ones in a new multimillion-dollar government campaign to be launched today.
New figures show less than 15 per cent of Australians have an end-of-life care plan which makes it clear how they want to be treated in their final days.
Australia’s inaugural Advance Care Planning Week begins today, encouraging people of all ages to get organised and give certainty to themselves and their families.
The topic will be explored across the nation through a range of conversation starters, quizzes and activities to help get people talking about death.
During the next seven days, more than 100 events will be held to encourage people to discuss their future health care preferences with their loved ones. Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt will launch the campaign today with a $4.1 million pledge to Austin Health for anawareness and commitment program. A PIMPAMA family have been left devastated after their pet pony was killed in a hit and run.
Shetland pony, Elle, was the most recent addition to the Bowyer household before she was left for dead on Yawalpah Rd after being hit by a car on Friday night.
The driver who originally hit Elle did stop according to a witness, but quickly fled the scene when a second witness stopped to help. The car is described as a small, silver fourwheel drive.
Michelle Bowyer, mother to five children, said she had been left heartbroken having to tell her adult son and four daughters – aged 14, 10, 7 and 3 – what happened to the nineyear-old pony.
Ms Bowyer said Elle had only been living with them for four weeks after fulfilling her children’s dreams of having a pony. “I’m very sad, I’m really angry,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion.
“The fact someone can do that and just drive off, they just make it worse for themselves.
“It’s not something you want to go home and tell your kids.”
She said despite Elle being shy, she was a “beautiful little girl” who adored her threeyear-old daughter.
“(She) would come running to you if you had food for her,” she said, adding she regularly tried to follow them into the house. “She would greet us at the back door every morning for cuddles.”
Ms Bowyer said she only heard about the incident after her friends had driven past Elle’s body on the side of the road around 10.30pm.
She last saw Elle at 8.30pm after checking in on her for a “chat”, and had recently had all the fences fixed in preparation for her arrival. The gate was not left open, she said.
Mr Bowyer said they had to get the trailer and call an emergency vet, who managed to come out just before midnight.
But she could not be saved as it was likely she had a punctured lung.
Ms Bowyer said Elle had been a rescue horse originally and she had bought her off a couple who could no longer look after her.
Facebook users were furious at the news in a post to the Pimpama Neighbours page.
Rachael Nowlan wrote: “I’m so, so sorry to hear this. How could anyone hit a pony and just leave it there?”
Desley Milward wrote: “There will certainly be damage if it was a car, not so much if it was a truck. Such a senseless death.”
RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty said they had been called at the time and had sent an animal ambulance out.
Anyone with information is urged to call local police.