Chris Brown
All creatures great and small
“The Sydney Dogs and Cats Home is overrun at this time of the year.”
Animals have featured in Brown family Christmases for as long as Bondi-vetturned-TV-star Dr Chris can remember. Walking the family dogs on the beach is a Christmas morning ritual.
“We do it to clear the sinuses,” he says, laughing, “after we’ve been smoked out of bed by the smell of burning kerosene. Dad’s pretty intent on getting his prized roast pork in the barbecue at 6am to ensure it’s only identifiable by carbon dating at Christmas lunch.”
Chris’ father, Graeme – who insists he has burnt the pork only once – is also a vet and was often on call over the holidays (which might explain why his mind wasn’t always on the barbecue). The family regularly had to wolf down their pudding before Graeme raced off to tend to a furry friend who had drunk the Christmas tree water or chewed through a string of lights.
No one will be on call in the Brown family this December, but Chris is conscious of offering a little extra support to his favourite charity, the Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, which is “overrun at this time of year”. Chris’ own cat, Cricket (she was found on a cricket pitch), came as a rescue pet via the charity two Christmases ago.