Wellington SPCA to rise again
2010-01-14
Lise Beyers
AFTER staring closure in the face, the Wellington SPCA received an early Christmas gift last year, when their members unanimously voted to keep the doors of this essential establishment open. A sword had been hanging over the head of this SPCA branch, after the previous chairperson, Francois van Wyk, and his wife, treasurer Christine van Wyk, allegedly drove them into bankruptcy. No financial statements had been submitted to the committee by the van Wyks and no budget had been tabled. In the 18 months prior to the election of a new committee, R400 000 was spent by the Wellington SPCA, whereafter they ran into debt. At the end of last year, the branch had barely R100 in the bank and were in debt to the tune of R40 000. According to new committee chairperson, Anne-Lida Schlemmer, the financial woes of the SPCA only became known when the new committee was elected in October, after the van Wyks resigned. They had never informed the previous committee of the problems. This dire state of affairs forced the new committee to call an emergency meeting on 22 December to urgently discuss the future of the branch. Three options were laid on the table by Schlemmer. These options were, whether to entirely shut the doors of the SPCA, amalgamate with Paarl SPCA, or continue as a separate branch. Members unanimously voted for the Wellington SPCA to remain an entity. Since the establishment’s bankruptcy came to light, the Cape of Good Hope and Paarl SPCA’s stepped in to assist the committee to keep their doors open. The Wellington SPCA needs a minimum of R18 000 per month to survive, which covers only immediate costs. All news at the meeting was not sombre. They will be receiving a grant of R697 000 from the National Lottery in February, but these monies are only made available according to strict conditions as to how it may be spent. The new committee has already come up with exciting fund-raising ventures, and various companies, including wine estates, have pledged their full support. Asked what can be done to prevent a repetition of last year’s poor financial planning, Schlemmer said that mistakes have been made and that the committee had now learnt from this. The future of the Wellington SPCA also depends on more members of the public joining the organisation, at a mere R50 per year. Currently this branch is home to more than 65 unwanted pets.
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