Twilight event for Guide Dogs

By Lana Eather
Dubbo Guide Dogs Support Group invites the region’s community members to join a wonderful fundraiser ‘Twilight Drinks and Canapes’ on Saturday, April 6, from 6pm in the gorgeous Regand Park Homestead Garden at 7 Avalon Place, Dubbo. The evening will support much needed funds for the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
It is a wonderful chance to view the gardens and homestead which display a delightful mixture of Victorian and Federation architecture and features dating back to the late-1880s. The property was purchased by Sue and Michael Egan in 2018, and has been lovingly maintained, restored and extended since then.
The Dubbo Guide Dogs Support Group has been operating from the 1970s, and participates in many fundraising opportunities each year. In the lead up to the Twilight Drinks and Canapes event they will be selling raffle tickets at the bottom of the escalators in Dubbo Square on Fridays and Saturdays. The fabulous raffle prizes include a child’s John Deere trike and wagon, a Maria Oates artwork, a Google Nest Mini device, Mink & Me gift voucher, Scott’s Parts Plus voucher and Nepali restaurant voucher. Tickets are $2 each or three for $5, and cash or electronic payments are available.
Local Annette Ferguson and her guide dog Leo dropped in to support the Dubbo Guide Dogs Support Group’s efforts, and is excitedly anticipating the Twilight Drinks and Canapes evening. Leo is eight years old and has been with Annette for six years. The process to become a fully working guide dog is a remarkable program. Selected puppies undergo an intensive five-month training period with a guide dog instructor to learn the complex skills needed to become a guide dog. Each dog has tailored training to suit their temperament and personality.
As the program progresses, dogs learn to travel through confusing and crowded areas so they can master commands associated with a complex sequence of events. Annette shares: “Leo is so smart… he is the cleverest dog ever! He has been on many, many flights and trips, and has given me a huge amount of freedom and confidence. I am so thankful for him, and my first guide dog Delta.
Delta has now retired, and lives with me. I couldn’t imagine my life without Delta and Leo.”
Tickets are available on 123Tix for $60 per person and includes a welcome drink on arrival. Please RSVP by April 2, 2024, for an evening of enjoyment and recreation in the peaceful Regand Park grounds.