Lucky Stars Sanctuary has been open since 2016, located 15 minutes from Canberra in the town of Bywong. The Sanctuary assists animals that are injured, neglected, surrendered or unwanted from unhealthy or unethical situations by providing them with treatment, rehabilitation and shelter. Lucky Stars also promotes ways to live kinder lives, and provides education on animal welfare and better food choices to all ages. The Sanctuary was founded by Kerrie Carroll and Yee Cheam in 2016, who thought that if there were another sanctuary in this world, there would be another safe place for animals to live. The Sanctuary is situated in an idyllic, peaceful bush setting on 24 acres, just outside the ACT border off the Federal Highway.
It was always our dream to set up a sanctuary. Through our volunteer work with animals and completing wildlife courses we realised how great the need was for another sanctuary in the Canberra surrounds – sadly, because so many animals are abandoned, injured, misplaced or require urgent accommodation as their humans circumstances have changed.
There are numerous sanctuaries in the Canberra area and some cater for specific animals such as wildlife and not all are registered not-for-profit, but Lucky Stars is also a retreat for humans - a place of safety and peace for people experiencing health issues such as depression and anxiety or city living overload. Families are able to bring their children to Lucky Stars for a tour and to interact with the animals. Some children are anxious or frightened because of their condition when they first arrive, but during the tour the children noticeably become relaxed, talk more and focus on the details of each animal resident. Many adults also express how they feel relaxed and at peace after spending time in the sanctuary surrounds with the animals and we also offer yummy vegan lunches on occasion.
We also have people visit from human and animal health industries that are experiencing compassion fatigue. They enjoy the break from the city to re-charge, so that they can go back to work refreshed.
Some of our visitors come with their own animals, or their support carer. We like to vet the animal’s behaviour before they arrive and request that their animal stay on lead if they are not used to other animals. We also like to discuss the needs of the individual with their carer in advance so that we are able to cater better for their needs, whether it be physical or emotional.
So Lucky Stars is a sanctuary in the true sense of the word?
Yes, absolutely. People do come to Lucky Stars for its peaceful tranquillity and introspection. Some of our visitors who have experienced domestic violence in the past have commented that the Sanctuary feels a safe place, and it is a place where they can focus on life in the present, rather than the negatives of the past. And part of the healing process is for humans to be among animals?
Everyone has their favourite animal that they connect and bond with, but it is the different communication between animals and humans that is most important. There is no judgement - just kindness and a desire to help misplaced or injured animals. We have a network of GPs, vets, vet nurses, nurses and mental health workers who will recommend or send their patients – both human and animal – to Lucky Stars.
Does Lucky Stars recoup expenses by providing this service?
This part of the Lucky Stars experience is usually free, as finances can be tight for some people. Others make a financial donation or donate their time to clean the pens and do the food rounds. Some arrange to stay overnight so that they may have the full experience and will cover their own expenses. One of my favourites is when people arrive with apples, corn or pumpkin to feed the animal residents.
Tell us a bit about the Lucky Stars’ carers.
The Sanctuary has three on-site carers who live at the Sanctuary 24/7, so there is always someone here for the animal residents. Others that don’t’ live at the Sanctuary come in for the evening feed rounds and on the weekends to care for the animals. They are also on call if an urgent situation arises.
All our carers have had training that caters to both humans and animals and all receive ongoing training onsite. We all attend wildlife courses to keep up-to-date with native bird and macropod care and have contact with native carers for advice. We also have a fantastic network of veterinarians that assist us regularly in animal health.
As to be expected, the carers are passionate about animals and we have all met through different circles. We’ve all become wonderful friends and together we work around schedules for the animals, fundraising, rescues and building infrastructure. We all share the same interests - to promote kindness to all and to live kindly through our food sources and protect the environment and the animals.
What’s behind the name “Lucky Stars”?
We thought a lot about the name for our Sanctuary, as you can imagine. We ended up choosing the name “Lucky Stars” for a few reasons. Whenever we were involved in a rescue, everyone would always say to the animal, "You are so lucky!"- and let’s face it, the animals are the stars of the Sanctuary, aren’t they! Also, there is an origami-shaped star in Chinese and Japanese tradition – the lucky star – that signifies love, care, friendship and happiness in relationships. This reflects our values; what we believe is important to us, not only between human relationships, but our relationships with animals.
What kind of animals call Lucky Stars their home?
The Sanctuary caters to domestic and farm animals, as well as wildlife. Well before we formally set up Lucky Stars, we always said we would never discriminate on animals in need. In fact, a common joke amongst the team is that if an elephant turned up at the gate, we would figure it out!
Currently, we care for alpacas, sheep, lambs, chickens, roosters, ducks, pigs, goats, donkeys, cats, dogs, peafowl and wildlife for rehabilitation such as kangaroos, turtles, yabbies, birds and lizards. As well as keeping vigilant with wildlife in our area such as with kangaroos and cockatoos.
Does assisting wildlife distinguish Lucky Stars from other sanctuaries in the area?
To care for wildlife you need to be a member of a wildlife organisation and have appropriate training in the species. Yee has been doing intense training with kangaroo joeys during the past two years, and we used our own finances to set up a rehabilitation section at the Sanctuary. A lot of caring comes down to having the right facilities and the money to build them. We have all become very resourceful in recycling materials! So far, we have managed to rescue or rehabilitate 9 kangaroos. We also do interim caring, for example, with injured birds and reptiles. We will make them comfortable in-situ until we can take them, or they are picked up by experienced, specialised carers.
Carers at Lucky Stars have done all the rescue training for wildlife and carry first aid kits for injured animals on our roads, so they can be transported appropriately after assessment. Sadly, this also involves the experience, knowledge and networks when euthanasia is the only option, for example, knowing how to assess leg fractures on adult kangaroos. Our resident bearded dragon is not for release and we had to do some intense training with a wildlife vet and carer to make her life as natural and comfortable as possible.
Yee also continues to volunteer as a wildlife phone coordinator and we both attend various courses, such as basic rescue, macropod caring, possum caring, and euthanasia training to maintain knowledge and learn new skills.
Where do the animals come from?
The animals at Lucky Stars mainly come from the ACT, NSW and Victoria, under all sorts of different circumstances. For example, most of the roosters that come to us are the result of rescues from hatching projects in schools or agriculture programs. Some are just sexed incorrectly and sold as hens and we get the phone call when the crowing begins and neighbours complain. Roosters are either not permissible or welcome in suburbia and we are often contacted to take them. There are also breeders who find themselves in predicaments where they over commit; or where a lease on a rental property ceases and the person is forced to find a new rental property that does not permit their animal to accompany them. There are also many different councils in NSW and many different rules around keeping pets, such as goats and pigs for example - so it all gets very confusing for people. All it takes is for a council to receive a complaint, and the animal has to be found a new home or risk euthanasia. It is often devastating for the families involved to lose their animals this way as they are part of the family.
Other animals come to Lucky Stars as a result of a death in the family; families moving interstate or overseas; or because they have no more purpose for the owner, such as older sheep not lambing anymore. It is really sad and upsetting for us at times to see how animals are treated in the farming and breeding game as “just a dollar figure.”
Depending on the circumstances, not all animals come to us – sometimes we go and get them! Lucky Stars will pick up the larger animals in our fully enclosed trailer. Some larger animals have caring owners who, by necessity, are required to relinquish them. These animals are transported to the Sanctuary by the families so that their owners can see first-hand where their animals will live and spend the rest of their lives, and how well they will be cared for by the team at Lucky Stars.
How can the general public get involved with Lucky Stars?
Financial and food donations are always welcome, as are items such as paper towels and towels. We also do fundraising events and are happy to accept items to be raffled or sold at our charity stall at the Fyshwick markets. We are a registered charity and a deductible gift recipient, so all donations are tax deductible. Lucky Stars merchandise is also available through Redbubble or the sanctuary, and we are listed on the Goodwill wines site where 50% of profits are donated to the Sanctuary. We are also listed on sites such as Good2give, a workplace donation initiative.
We like sharing our story and the stories of the animals at Lucky Stars. Through social media, we hope to create awareness about the situations both humans and animals find themselves in and hope that our followers on social media will spread the word. We are keen to highlight the work we do to educate people around the issues of animal welfare and the environment and the benefits of being vegan. We also welcome support at events that we attend, such as the Living Green Festival and the Earth Festival.
Do you have working bees or Open Days at Lucky Stars?
We run working bees, usually on Sundays, and we welcome the public’s assistance to feed the animals, change their drinking water, and clean their bedding - not to forget giving our animals cuddles and belly rubs! We also provide training in medication administration, and we welcome any assistance from the public to help construct fencing and shelters.
We love to educate people about the running of the Sanctuary, as well as how to manage all the tasks involved. We prefer a phone call to arrange attendance at the working bees at Lucky Stars, so we don’t have too many people or too less on the day. By prior arrangement, we can even arrange a sleep-over weekend for the real eager-beavers!
Open Days are currently by appointment, but we will be advertising regular open days in the future – so stay tuned! Our website and facebook event sections are also a great way for the general public to keep up-to-date on events.
Volunteers are always welcome at Lucky Stars. Being a Sanctuary and a charity, we would like to increase our numbers during the weekdays, especially in the evening rounds. Currently, we have shift workers and retirees that can accommodate their time to help out. We would also welcome food pick-up volunteers from businesses in Canberra. Handy people are always welcome, especially to help us put the animal shelters together.
Contacting Lucky Stars
If you would like to assist Lucky Stars, please contact Kerrie and Yee on 0414719985 or visit Lucky StarsWebsite, page or Instagram Page and follow their story. Financial donations may be made to Lucky Stars Sanctuary, BSB 062908 Account 10794381 at the Commonwealth Bank.
~ Kerrie Carroll, co-founder, Lucky Stars Sanctuary.
