The Blue Mountains Branch (of RSPCA NSW) was formed in October 1968.
I became a member in August 1976 and it quickly became evident that a refuge for unwanted and domestic animals was needed
as there was nowhere for those animals to be cared for between Sydney in the east and Orange in the west.
In 1977, a fund was launched, in the name of the Blue Mountains RSPCA Branch, to purchase land and build a shelter
Within three years, we had purchased the 11 acres in Mort Street, Katoomba
and had sufficient funds to build the first two rows of kennels
and turn a large vintage shed into a cattery.
Within weeks we were swamped to capacity with dogs and cats and their offspring.
The Branch committee had agreed that the Branch would be totally responsible for
the building and maintenance of the shelter,
as well as for the staff wages
and the care of the animals.
We opened Op Shops staffed by volunteers in order to achieve that.
Our shelter grew and became known as the best small shelter in NSW, possibly in the whole of Australia. It was admired by everyone.
In January 1983, the BMCC agreed to enter into a contract in which the RSPCA NSW were their agents
and a section of the B.M Shelter, became the Council Pound.
It was a wonderful achievement to get the lost dogs away from the terrible conditions they had on the site of the Katoomba Garbage Tip where ...
...blowflies carried their food away in summer and
...puppies were frozen dead on the concrete by the water from the dripping drink taps in winter.
The dogs and cats must have thought they had died and gone to heaven when they reached the comfort of our shelter.
The Branch had to work under the auspices of RSPCA NSW as a Branch is not a legal entity
and so couldn't enter into leases or purchases or contracts.
We supplied the money to RSPCA NSW and they performed the legalities.
For 22 years all went wonderfully until I retired in 2004;
then RSPCA NSW took over the management of the B.M Shelter.
Steve Coleman was then the deputy CEO of RSPCA NSW.
In 2007, Coleman was promoted to the position of CEO in RSPCA NSW and things began to change rapidly.
Following are some, but not all, of the changes that have been introduced
by CEO Coleman and his current and previous Boards,
none of which have been elected by the members of RSPCA NSW.
The RSPCA NSW Constitution allows for nominated directors to become Board Members only if the required number of members accept nomination.
If more nominate as directors than are required then an election has to be held.
However, that doesn't happen anymore.
Closing the Shelter: In May 2014, CEO Coleman visited the B.M Shelter
and advised the staff that the Shelter would be closed and offered for sale in November.
They were told that they would receive a redundancy payment,
but if they spoke publicly about the closure they would be dismissed and receive no redundancy payment.
However somebody managed to inform our local newspaper
and on 28th May 2014 we were shocked to see the front page headline in the Gazette 'RSPCA TO CLOSE'.
I rang a person who I knew was a Committee member and asked what the Branch was going to do?
The reply was that the Branch President had told them that nothing could be done
as the decision to close and sell the shelter had already been made by Head Office.
So it was clear that the Branch intended to sit quietly and obey the instructions of their President and do nothing.
I wasn't sure what to do, I had retired from the shelter and despite being a Life Member I had stayed away from Branch meetings for the past 12 years.
I realised I had to do something...
so I used my Facebook Page (which had remained unused since my daughters had made it for me);
filled it with photographs of the shelter being built and of the dreadful news of the impending closure.
It reached thousands. Inspired by that I put a petition together. It got almost 10,000 signatures.
Many people contacted me.
Bob Kemnitz was one of them. I told him that we needed to have a public meeting and he organised the Carrington ballroom for us.
Nearly 500 irate residents attended, as did CEO Steve Coleman who had accepted my invitation. He had not expected such an audience and public hostility,
but he managed to brave it out and eventually, a few weeks later, he withdrew his decision to close and sell the shelter.
Selling the fund-raising shops: RSPCA NSW CEO Coleman sold the premises we had purchased in Katoomba Street quite soon after I left in 2004.
It was a large building with a separate apartment behind the shop premises and a larger apartment above the shop.
It was an Opportunity shop at first ...
but I changed it into a shop called RSPCA ALL CREATURES selling animal needs and animal themed giftware for Pets & Their People.
Due to its success we did the same to the Springwood shop.
The Springwood premises was actually two shops under one Title with a back garden which was great for parking.
It was sold the day that CEO Coleman withdrew his threat to sell the Shelter.
Due to the high rental costs, we had purchased both shop premises in 1989 after receiving bequests.
When I left in 2002 RSPCA NSW took control of everything, including the shops.
RSPCA NSW Head Office said that trying to manage retail shops in the Blue Mountains from Sydney was too difficult,
so the shops were closed and leased to other businesses.
CEO Coleman's explanation to his Directors was that the shops were financially unviable.
This was a remarkable claim given that the shops were fully paid for and they were free of land rates (as charities are).
These shops had been the major source of income for the Branch for 22 years; paid the wages for eight people while maintaining a shelter,
feeding hundreds of animals and being staffed by reliable volunteers.
Indeed it would take a special skill not to be able to make a profit from them.
We were a small group of women with no special business acumen, yet we did much better than this CEO and his directors.
THE PROCEEDS FROM EVERY PROPERTY SALE WAS PUT INTO THE BANK ACCOUNT OF RSPCA NSW.
Paid branch managers: CEO Coleman introduced paid employees on whom he bestows the title of 'manager'.
All communication between the branch and RSPCA NSW is supposed to go through them.
They are required to attend every branch meeting, general and annual general. Since the first one in 2014 there have been six or seven.
Some of them have never attended and hence we've never seen them.
They know nothing at all about the branch, they don't have a clue whether it started a week ago or ten years ago.
All members feel that it's a total insult to have paid people sitting in on our meetings.
The Blue Mountains Branch managed extremely well for 46 years without a so called manager sitting there. We don't need these people.
It's a shocking waste of public money and is an insult to the volunteers who attend the meetings and is causing fewer and fewer of the members to bother.
Cupcake Day: This is an annual event organised by RSPCA NSW.
Blue Mountains Branch accepted the invitation to participate and worked hard to encourage people to bake cupcakes for the Branch or themselves to sell.
That has resulted in the Branch being told by RSPCA NSW
that they can only accept or retain the money raised by selling cupcakes donated by Upper Mountains residents,
all other money raised must go to RSPCA NSW.
Cash donations to the local shelter must be sent to RSPCA NSW.
Cash donations to the branch in excess of $1,000 must be sent to RSPCA NSW.
Lists of members' names and addresses are not permitted to be retained by branches.
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BLUE MOUNTAINS ASSOCIATION FOR THE PROTECTION AND CARE OF ANIMALS INCORPORATED INC2301111
