Your intention to close the Blue Mountains RSPCA animal shelter is totally without compassion for animals & is an insult to the people of this community who worked so hard & gave so much to enable the purchase of the land & the building of the shelter. 

People bequeathed their homes, large amounts of cash were given & many thousands of residents gave continual donations, all in the belief that this Branch would build a facility which would forever provide shelter for animals in need.

We were an autonomous Branch, acting under the auspices of the RSPCA and became the most successful Branch in NSW with almost 1000 members and a continual income from the two retail shops we purchased in Springwood & Katoomba, we used that income to pay all our outgoings, including wages for our shelter staff.

As a result of our success RSPCA NSW became ever keener to gain control of the Blue Mountains Branch and in 2002 you succeeded, but it wasn’t long before you closed & sold our two fund raising shops, both of which had been used as the front line for keeping the public aware of our shelter.

If RSPCA NSW is unable or unwilling to continue managing this shelter then it should be returned  to the control of the Blue Mountains Branch. The action you are considering is morally reprehensible & on behalf of the animals & this community we implore you to reconsider your decision.

PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT     Help to save the Blue Mountains Animal Shelter by signing this petition. This Branch purchased the 11 acre site in Katoomba in 1980, it cost us $35,000.00, if it is sold there is no way we could ever afford to purchase land or build  another shelter at today’s  prices. It is imperative that our animals don’t lose their shelter to prop up the finances of RSPCA NSW. Selling assets does not create cash flow.

The comment by RSPCA NSW CEO Steve Coleman, that the Blue Mountains shelter is in close proximity to Sydney & Orange is ridiculous, one of the reasons why this shelter was needed was because of the distance between shelters. Not everyone owns a vehicle or can afford petrol to travel long distances and animals are not permitted on public transport.

Before we built this shelter unwanted dogs & litters of pups & kittens were continually dumped in the bush and many unwanted dogs were either taken to the local council pound to spend 7 miserable days before being euthanased, or were turned out onto the street where they ran in packs searching for food. Many people who no longer want their animal won’t go on a 2 hour drive to take it to a place of safety.

I could write a book on the reasons why an animal shelter was needed in the Blue Mountains in 1980. The reasons will not have changed. Let us hope that the current CEO & Directors of RSPCA NSW have not reached the point of just running a business.

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