When vice president, Sue Bolton-Wood, was asked to chair the August meeting of The Caloundra 86 Probus Club, her guide dog and faithful companion, Vegas, was right there beside her.
“I was matched with my beautiful black Labrador five years ago. We do everything together,“ Sue said.
“Vegas will be a special guest at The Tewantin Noosa Probus Club’s meeting on Tuesday 23 September,“ explained president, Joy Fenty.
“Vegas will be accompanied by Sue and also by Richard Langford, who is the Major Gifts Advisor for Guide Dogs Queensland.“
“I am passionate about informing the community of the wonderful work of the Guide Dogs. They start their working lives at the age of two and usually work until they are ten. It costs about $50,000 to breed and train a guide dog. They are supplied to the visually impaired at no cost to them, so fund raising is a vital part of our work and crucial to our existence,“ Richard said.
“When Sue was matched with Vegas it changed her life forever..“
“In 2015, after contracting an autoimmune disease, I lost all vision in my left eye and retained about one per cent of very blurred vision in my right eye. My confidence was shattered and I was not dealing at all well with my loss of independence,” Sue said.
“Previously, I led a very busy life raising a family and working for 20 years as a receptionist for Greenslopes Private Hospital and later a chiropractor.
“The day I met Vegas, I knew my next adventure was about to begin. We travel together by bus and train. We fly interstate and she just loves being out on the water. CityCats is her favourite mode of transport.
“I trust Vegas implicitly. If she is not happy with a situation, she sits in front of me so I cannot proceed.“
“If you would like to meet Vegas and hear more of Sue’s story, you will be most welcome. We meet in the Tewantin Noosa RSL at 10am for morning tea. The guest speakers will be introduced at 10.30am. There is a small charge of $6 to cover the cost of morning tea and other overheads,“ Joy said.
“We do ask that you phone Christine beforehand on 5442 7397, so that she can save you a seat.“
