Finding Freo – and the human spirit!
This is the very first Rumination that I have written in the years I have been publishing this ad-hoc column that doesn’t have my picture at the top!
Ruminations really is about what is going through my head as I sit on my verandah, generally enjoying a wine or sometimes a beer, and usually I don’t research or check facts I just let the thoughts and feelings flow along with the wine.
Certainly in Melbourne this afternoon the weather is balmy and it is a superb spring afternoon, the verandah is bathed in sunshine, birds are singing and it is a fine arvo for a vino and all should be right with the world.
But it isn’t and I’m not talking about the woes and ills of the world, but something much closer to home.
Firstly, why the picture of a lost German Shorthaired Pointer?
Well regular readers would know I have two German Shorthaired Pointers (GSPs), a 5 year old male – Bodi, and a 8 year old female – Lenni, and that I am somewhat besotted by the breed.
Now I’m not going to go into why I have such a love for GSPs or their wonderful features and behaviours because it is not about them this time.
It is about Freo (the lost GSP), and the human spirit!
Freo has been lost now for about 12 weeks and her human (Melanie) is a member of the GSP Facebook group that I am also a member of. Now weeks and weeks ago she posted about her anguish because her beloved Freo had been lost around Mount Macedon and despite constant searches by Melanie and friends, and confirmed sightings of Freo, she remained lost!
When she approached us in the group, German Shorthaired Pointers – Australia, she got a lot of sympathy and wonderfully supporting words, and then as the weeks went on and the situation became more desperate a few members volunteered to go up to Mount Macedon to help look.
Time is, as Dr. Who observed, a wibbly wobbly thing and hard to come to grips with sometimes. Sure enough, before we knew it, almost 3 months had passed.
In that time she had been sighted a number of times, but evaded capture and the longer time went, the shyer she became and the more desperate Melanie became.
Then Melanie suddenly had to deal with a family tragedy and that meant she simply did not have the time to devote to searching for her beloved Freo.
That’s when the amazing human spirit suddenly kicked in.
Now while I’m certain many fine people have fine religious beliefs that might suddenly say, I understand, well who am I to deny you don’t?
Whwn I say “human spirit”, I am talking about that part of us that suddenly recognises that a fellow human is in real need and that we in turn, need to do more than just reach out in support and understanding, but to actually engage in a form of random act of kindness.
This is what happened and before we knew it, that simple act of kindness became wonderfully formalised and then, organised.
A suggestion was made to start a “Finding Freo” page and to invite people to join who might be able to help in finding Freo using the time and ability to help to the best means at their disposal.
We tend to think of life forcing us into small groups, even isolate ourselves in order to deal with what are very real and harsh events in life. The world really has shrunk and where once it was events in our own family, then community (read village) that affected us, we now have moved past community to state, to nation to international – as for better or worse the global community struggles to deal with the ever growing and complex inter-twinning events that seem to bedevil us, whether we want them or not!
We are told we ARE a global community and one affect of this, is that we forget that in reality, it is our local communities that really need us. “Think globally – Act locally”!
So it was that I was both profoundly touched, and somewhat startled, when offers to help started flooding in.
Look, I would be lying if I didn’t say I had hoped for a positive response, but one of the things I have learned in my seventy years on this planet is – don’t take people and events for granted!
All of a sudden I was surrounded by a genuinely enthusiastic and equally concerned core of people making the most amazing suggestions and within 24 hrs the “Finding Freo” Facebook page was up, and I was meeting on-line with this core of people and things were actually happening.
It has been said, that talk is cheap, but words can be quite powerful when the hearts and passions of those that speak them are focussed and are directed in a righteous manner.
Not only was the “Finding Freo” group up and running but within less than 48 hours it attracted over 300 people willing to donate time to search, make donations to the GoFundMe page that was set up, or to volunteer for various jobs that needed to be done.
That number joining continues to rise as you read this.
Among the many things the “Finding Freo” group is doing, is, raising funds to try and hire the services of Victoria’s only professional lost dog finder; reaching critical media and local organisations with information; organising searches and providing searchers with up to date maps, via Google maps, that show her sightings and the dates she was sighted; to identify people that might help and the skills they bring; to find people with drone, first aid kits and two-way radios and, oh so much more!
But what is utterly heartwarming, is the wonderful reaction that is coming from people in every state of Australia.
It seems as though even in a world that is taken up with so much hatred, and even though we are constantly told we are part of a “global village, small, but very important local issues, can still reach people and they can still open their hearts.
The search for Freo will go on. If you are reading this we hope you will send out some love to the family and vibe Freo home, but maybe, you can even make a small donation.
The journey we have undertaken is long, it will be a lot of hard work, but there are many hands and paws helping and certainly, a lot of love for a GSP most people have not even met!
The human spirit IS certainly alive – Now, let’s FIND FREO!
POSTER
Freo is missing in the Macedon Pine Plantation. She has been missing for 11 weeks.
We have had several sightings around Scout Camp Road –Railway Road last week.
If you are in the area and would like to help out we are organising a group search on both Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th October
Or alternatively you can go to the Macedon Nursery and they will give you a bag of dog food
(= 1 cup) and an up to date map of sightings.
We also have a Facebook page called Finding Freo all the details are on the page.
Also a go fund me page is in place linked on the Facebook page: if you would like to donate the proceeds are going towards a professional tracker to get her home safely.
PLEASE CALL MELANIE ON 0458 02 02 04 IF SEEN OR FOUND THANK-YOU
Please leave a Comment on our Facebook Page with the location of your sighting.
