Boarding 

We are well on our way with remote learning and recharging our Connected at College boarding program. Our program highlights the strengths of our boarders and aims to explicitly connected boarders with each other and the staff who care for them. We are proud to see our boarding captains with Heads of House organise the weekly Wednesday evening House meetings. This week marks a special week for Yong An Ly, who turns 17. Yong An resides in Cambodia and we wish him all the very best in celebrating his birthday with family. With the time difference considered, Yong An, is online with his remote learning at 6am each day, which of course is an early rise, however he does finish early as well!

Long Distance Daschund puppy arrival - (Annabel Hetherington and Ally Gray)

(Annabel) - During our second day of remote learning a miracle happened. Currently, I am in quarantine in South Australia and Ally is back home in Moulamein (NSW). Last Friday we were both in a study lesson, so we decided to quickly face-time on TEAMS and do some work together. That morning Ally’s dog started giving birth, so she was in the office supervising them. Ally’s Mum, brother and sister were out at the dentist and her Dad was out working on the farm. After 3 puppies were born Ally got a phone call from her dad asking if she could take a shovel down to him, but she didn’t know if she could as her dog was still in labour. That is when Ally had the idea to set her computer above the pups and have me watch over them! (I am about 500kms away from Moulamein). The idea was that I could watch them and make sure everything was okay and then call Ally on her phone as she went out to the paddocks.

(Ally) - Everything was fine when I got back from helping Dad. I continued doing school work but then noticed she was starting to have her fourth puppy. Everything went well with the fourth pup which was great. It was taking Pepper about 40min to have each pup but between the fourth and the fifth had taken a little longer. I thought she had finished. Then dad called again asking for me to bring the tractor down which was going to take a lot longer as he was at the back of the property. So, I called Annabel again and asked her to watch the puppies again just to make sure everything was okay. As I was out in the paddocks, Annabel called me on my phone. I was stressing as she had told me that Pepper was rustling about as if she was about to give birth to another puppy. I raced home just in time to help deliver the fifth one as she was rather tired. 

(Annabel) – As Ally got the last puppy out, we noticed it wasn’t breathing and was rather floppy. That is when Ally started CPR. She was giving it mouth to mouth and pressing on its chest trying to get its lungs and heart working but during this process Ally was gagging between each breath as it was disgusting. After a few minutes of doing this the puppy finally became conscious and started breathing on its own. Ally wrapped it in a dry face washer to keep it warm.  

(Ally) - All puppies are doing well and going strong. They are growing rapidly, and Pepper is also going well and looking after them happily. I can’t tell which one I revived as they are all doing so well. We have three healthy dapple girls and three happy boys, two dapples, one black. We are still waiting for them to open their eyes. Thanks to Annabel as I wouldn’t have been able to help Dad and know what Pepper and puppies were doing without her.

Andrew Monk