Published on Wednesday, 27 July 2022 at 4:28:34 PM
Katherine’s first annual Defence and Mayoral Ball hopes to raise money to support Katherine Hospital welcome their first therapy dog.
“The idea for the dog came from staff in our emergency department,” Renae Daniel, General Manager and Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Katherine Hospital, said. "There is a large volume of evidence for the benefits of therapy dogs in both patient and staff wellness."
"A large number of staff who work at Katherine Hospital are not from Katherine, and have left their families and friends behind. The benefits of a wellness dog for our staff will assist in creating a home away from home and also assist with increased stress levels which can occur due to the nature of delivering health care.
"Having this dog will create a more family environment in the future for our staff as well as our patients.”
Katherine Town Council paired with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will hold the Katherine Defence and Mayoral Ball on Saturday, August 6 at the Katherine Museum. Tickets are $160 and all proceeds will go towards making this therapy dog a reality.
“We don’t have many balls and it is a chance to dress up for a worthy cause that supports our community,” Katherine mayor Lis Clark said.
Guests will receive a welcome champagne on arrival in a commemorative glass. Katherine’s Constantina Bush will MC the event, which includes a three-course meal. RAAF’s professional reservist band will fly out for the occasion from Sydney, getting ball-goers feet tapping to a variety of music including 70s and 80s classics, some rock and r’n’b.
The band consists of piano, saxophone, bass and electric guitars, piano, drums, and a singer. The band helps the air force and the communities they engage with celebrate.
The costs for the dog will be about $29,000, which includes its initial 12 months of training, handler training, and follow up from PAWS Darwin, who are dedicated to walking the hospital through the process. The therapy dog will have non-allergenic hair and will live full-time at the hospital.
It will be trialled in the staffrooms first and then introduced to the emergency department and wards across the hospital. Risk assessments, infection control, and a consent process before interaction will all be considered in the process of introducing the dog to the hospital environment.
“Therapy dogs provide a range of emotional benefits. Having this dog would be such a great thing to improve the lives of our patients as well as staff.” Ms. Daniel said.
Buy tickets from Council at the Civic Centre or call 8972 5500
The black-tie gala will auction off generous donations from businesses around the region including:
- Luxury jewellery company Paspaley have donated an item
- Airborne Solutions donated a voucher for two, for a full day pub crawl via helicopter in Darwin,
- Katherine Town Council donated a voucher for tourism products from the Katherine Visitor Information Centre,
- Patow Tilt Trays donated a bunch of great Yeti products,
- Crab Claw Island Resort donated one night’s accommodation and full day boat tour at its idyllic location on the northern coast,
- Darwin Harbour Cruises donated a fishing charter trip and a Litchfield adventure tour,
- Mitre 10 donated a pressure washer and wet and dry vacuum combo,
- Nutrien Ag Solutions donated an Engel portable fridge
- and much more!
Other auction items come from the following businesses:
- Elders Realestate
- NJ Homes
- Lendlease
- Spanner and Arc
- Katherine Diesel Repairs
- YMCA
- Top End Rural Supplies
- Knotts Crossing
- Katherine Cinema
- Sue Carmody/Money Spider Conveyancing
- Jones Meat Mart
- Katherine Toyota
- Katherine Camping & Fishing
- Nitmiluk Tours/Cicada Lodge
- Crocodylus Park
- Melbourne Demons
- Better Electrical
- Top Didj and Art Gallery
- Jodie Bilske Photographics
- Danny Murphy (ceramics)
- Katherine Club
- Top News
- Emerge IT
- Fe's Variety
- Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre
We would like to thank the businesses who have given in kind support for this event:
- Tradelink Katherine
- Hire Power
- NT Heli-Ops
- Wilson Security
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