Acknowledging the DCD program
Excerpt taken from Veterans speech at DCD graduation in October 2022, where he received his DCD Assistance Dog ‘Oregon’; within an 8-day in person handover, alongside Oregon’s inmate dog handler and DCD professional dog training team at Honour House, Bathurst Prison.
“At some stage or another, we’ve all had those late night, drunken conversations on ways we could change the world. Good ideas which might make it a better place, but once sober, you realise it’s likely wishful thinking; and relies on the selfless sacrifice of too many parties to ever be possible. Until the next late night backyard conversation, that’s as far as those ideas get.
But in my eyes, a program that gives rescued and rehomed dogs (including unsuitable guide dogs) a second chance to make a difference, actively rehabilitates prisoners and provides them with skills and a supportive environment for them to flourish in, and has the end goal of supporting Veterans who are often at the end of the road for treatment options and quite frankly at the end of the road for hope… It very much seems like one of those late night idealistic ideas, which are too complex to make a reality… and if just one person said no, the idea would fail before it was even given a chance to succeed.
However, due to the selfless sacrifice, and goodwill of so many people, on so many levels and through so many stages, I am now standing here with Oregon – the end product of this amazing idea, and life changing program.
All thanks to the people who went out of their way to say yes. Which brings me to my thanks.
A familiar thread throughout this program for me is the concept of ‘Above and Beyond’ – NSW Corrections [who allow the inmates to train the dogs for 250+ hours] could have simply said no. The DCD trainers could have stuck with traditional dog training. The inmates could have finished their prison sentences without coming here [to Honour House], and the sponsors could have kept their money as raises and bonuses within their organisations.
But at every level, at every stage, the people involved in this program have gone above and beyond. They have selflessly dedicated their time and effort to this program, and as a result, are making real and tangible change within the world. And at the very least real and tangible change within our lives.
For everyone who has helped support this program. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a corrections facility, a defence contractor, a bank, a prison inmate, a dog trainer, an admin staff member or a random person off the street who donated when they saw the jacket – you have all contributed to our lives, you have all touched our hearts, and you have all gone out of your way to do so. And I can’t thank you enough for that
When I joined defence, even at 18, I wasn’t naive enough to think I could change the world. But I figured if I could change someone’s world, it would be worth it. I feel as though this program holds a similar sentiment. And although you may not be able to change the world, I can confidently say you have changed mine. All of you really are making a difference. One paw at a time.”
