A very special fundraiser to mark World Veterinary Day, taking place on April 26th at the Lennox Head Cultural Centre.

Stand Up For Wildlife and Vets will be a night full of entertainment, fun and comedy brought together to support the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital's vital work, which includes providing professional veterinary care to all native Australian wildlife species. The fundraiser is scheduled one day before World Veterinary Day to raise awareness and appreciation for veterinarians all over the globe.

Why should I attend Stand Up For Wildlife and Vets?

The veterinary sector is in somewhat of a crisis. The workforce shortage in the veterinary sector is the subject of a Parliamentary Inquiry in NSW. Both the inquiry and an award-winning podcast called “Sick as a Dog” by ABC journalist Caroline Winter identified burnout, under-resourcing and unattainable treatment time targets set by some employers as causing widespread mental illness among those working in the industry. Many have left the sector unable to cope with these factors. The veterinary sector has a suicide rate 4x that is prevalent in the Australian population generally.

We’re hoping to entertain our community with some ‘laughter as the best medicine’ while showing much-deserved support for the hardworking vets, including Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital’s wildlife vets who work tirelessly to keep our feathered, furry and scaly friends healthy.

All profits from Stand Up For Wildife and Vets will go back to Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital so they continue providing expert veterinary care to wildlife, free of charge.

The event will feature entertainment, including:

MC and Comedy Set by Australian comedian, Lehmo
Special appearance from Adam Zwar, star of 'Wildfred' and screening of a special 'Wilfred' short.
A screening of "Wildlife Rescue" a TV show produced in 2022 by Chanel 10 about our Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital and featuring our veterinary team and other familiar faces as they save wildlife.
Silent Auction filled with incredible vouchers, experiences, art and much more! Generously donated by local and national businesses. The Silent Auction is hosted online thanks to our auction partner: Gald Bid. Click here to explore the Silent Auction, register and bid. Proceeds from the auction will go directly back to Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital. Some auction items will be on display at the event.
Panel Discussion- an interactive panel of guests, vets and nurses will dissect some of the stark realities of being a veterinary professional. Stay tuned for details!
A bar filled with local beers, wines and spirits will be available to purchase throughout the event.
The team at GE Catering will be cooking up a storm with delicious food available to purchase and enjoy throughout.

Tickets:

Tickets are limited for this one-night-only fundraiser and will sell quickly. Stand Up #ForTheWildlife is hosted at the Lennox Head Cultural Centre, there are two seating options for tickets:

Tiered Seating: Located at the back of the auditorium with seats on numerous levels.

Floor Seating: Located along the auditorium floor between the tiered section and the stage.

Seats within these zones are on a first come first serve basis as the seats are not numbered.

Lehmo:

Lehmann (Lehmo) is one of Australia’s most experienced and well-traveled comedians. His live work has seen him headline at comedy clubs for well over fifteen years and work in all corners of the globe – USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand.

He has also performed sell out seasons at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Adam Zwar:

Adam Zwar is an Australian actor, voice artist, and writer. He is best known for co-creating the Australian comedy series Squinters, Lowdown, Wilfred and creating the critically acclaimed Channel 10 comedy Mr. Black as well as the popular factual series Agony Aunts, Agony Uncles, The Agony of Life, The Agony of Modern Manners and Agony.

Wilfred is an Australian comedy television series created by Adam Zwar, Jason Gann and Tony Rogers based on their award-winning 2002 short film. The story follows the lives of the eponymous dog Wilfred, his owner Sarah, and her boyfriend Adam, who sees Wilfred as a man in a dog suit. Two series were broadcast on SBS One, the first in 2007 and the second in 2010. The series won three AFI Awards and was nominated for a Logie.

Veterinarians Dr Bree Talbot and Dr
Chantal Whitten — Veterinarians Dr Chantal Whitten and Dr Bree Talbot

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital:

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital is the North Coast’s only all-species wildlife hospital licensed by the Veterinary Practitioners Board of NSW. Equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, the veterinary hospital operates inside a custom-built, semi-trailer, making it Australia’s largest Mobile Wildlife Hospital. The hospital employs 2 full-time veterinarians (Foundation Veterinarian Dr Bree Talbot and Associate Veterinarian Dr Chantal Whitten, pictured) and a team of dedicated wildlife veterinary nurses. You may not know that The Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital veterinary team is made up entirely of women. Girl power!

Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital operates from within a full-sized, custom-built semi-trailer, affectionately known as Matilda through a public naming competition. She can be transported to the scene of a natural disaster such as a bushfire, flood, mass stranding or oil spill affecting wildlife on a large scale. Members of the public and licensed wildlife carers can bring injured, sick and orphaned animals in their care to Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital for treatment and care.

Event Sponsors:

Southern Cross Credit Union - Major Sponsor

GalaBid - Auction Sponsor

The Lennox Hotel - Community Sponsor