FAR Superstar for Animals (and nifty vegan cook!)
This month we celebrate FAR volunteer Aaron who meticulously takes care of Farm Animal Rescue administration.
Q How long have you been working with FAR?
A little over a year
Q What made you want to start to volunteer initially?
I am passionate about helping animals and have done a lot of activism in the past. However, I found I needed to seek alternative ways to help animals due to the negative effect it was having on me. Activism can be hard.
FAR has the sanctuary which directly helps animals in need, but also has the investigations and advocacy arm, which helps advance the overall cause.
Volunteering for FAR has enabled me to continue doing something positive for animals.
Q What do you love best about the work?
First and foremost, helping animals through working at FAR is an incredibly worthy cause. I love being a part of this. I also enjoy working with the passionate, friendly, caring, and professional FAR team who shares my values. Supporters probably do not realise, but there are a whole bunch of sharp-minded people involved in running FAR, so it's amazing to be a part of this team.
Q What do you find hard about the work?
As silly as it might sound, I find it hard to stay on top of all the emails. Just like any organisation, there are so many that sometimes it can get a little overwhelming.
Q Who is your favorite resident?
Elvis the steer. I'm not sure but he might not have been pleased with my presence the last time I was there and so he came up to me and gave me a nudge. Terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
Q What’s something surprising about you?
Most people might be surprised that even though I appear confident, I have to work really hard to look that way as I'm often a highly anxious mess! (I might need to mention that to Elvis next time) That did not stop me from applying a bunch of homemade tattoos, however... and they look like they are here to stay as tattoo removal is very painful!
I love music and spicy food. In fact, I go to great lengths to get cafes and juice bars to add chopped chillies, flakes, powder or tabasco to juices!
I take singing lessons, I also like running, and motorcycles. I used to work in corporate but am transitioning to photography and motorcycle training.
I’m also a pretty good cook. Like, next to a professional, I consider myself rubbish, but whenever I’m putting on a spread, most of my friends would cancel plans to come and eat at my table. And my kids love everything I cook for them. Aside from meals I also love experimenting with food. I make cheese, ice cream, mayonnaise, mock meats, mock chickens etc. In fact, I developed a passion for experimental vegan cooking before I was even vegan. My kids went vegan before I did, and we were going to their grandparents house for a bonfire one day. No kid of mine was going to miss out on roasting marshmallows so I researched vegan marshmallow recipes and made them marshmallows to roast. Shortly after this I went vegan myself and started experimenting with everything else.
We might have to ask Aaron for some vegan recipes!!
