Newsletters
From Autumn 2010 Issue
Opening Of ‘Avalon’ Horse Sanctuary
– Report By Doreen:
On July 5th l998 the first Greyhound Sanctuary named ‘Avalon’ was
opened in Ireland. It is situated at Flesk, Gurteeny, Woodford, Co.
Galway This was made possible by Mrs. Johanna Wothke, the founder and
president of a German animal welfare organisation called Pro Animale fur
Tiere in Not e.V.
This year the organisation acquired more land and built a Horse
Sanctuary nearby. We received an e-mail at the end of August inviting us
again over to Ireland. This was asking if my husband Rev. James Thompson
was well and fit enough to travel after all these years, and would he
like to take part in the opening with Johanna, and to bless the
Sanctuary.
This we gladly accepted and on 24th September flew from Liverpool to
Cork and were met by Darius holding his little Pro Animale notice as we
entered the waiting area. A three-hour drive followed with the scenery
becoming very beautiful around Loch Derg which seemed to be a holiday
area.
We stayed with a lovely Irish family in Gurteeny, in quite a big
farmhouse, with fields all around, they had about sixteen very healthy
looking cows in one field, three teenage children and two huge dogs. At
six o’clock we were called for and taken to Mountshannon by the loch,
where Johanna was staying and the German contingent. She arranged an
evening meal there each evening when all her visitors met together
socially.
The 25th September proved to be a fine day, a little cloudy, but we
saw the sun. We all gathered in the Horse Sanctuary Compound for the
ceremony, several horses in the stables around, and some held by
trainers alongside a semi-circle of seventy people. Both Johanna looking
very gracious and James in his white clergy attire with green stole gave
good speeches.
After this the horses left the stables and trotted out of a gate into
the country lanes, a beautiful site. They later returned to a huge field
nearby and were exercised round the field by five Polish workmen. What a
display, and what a good job being done looking after these animals from
when they came in. Everyone eventually found his or her way to the
caring quarters in the Greyhound area where a vegetarian buffet had been
laid on. We were doing our best with the different languages, the
workers as well as Irish included Polish, Russian and German.
Next day we were driven to a church in Woodford and enjoyed the
service. In the afternoon we walked down the lanes to the sanctuary
again, and then in the evening another vegetarian meal together in
Mountshannon, where we were shown on a laptop more of Johanna’s plans
for the future in Poland.
Next morning we were picked up by a Russian driver for a rather quiet
three-hour drive, back to the airport. He was a good driver. We were sad
to leave the happy family we’d stayed with who were so kind to us in
many ways, a very restful home.
Cork is a very large city with a new and pleasant airport. On taking
off it was very clear and sunny, so got a good view of the surrounding
area. Waiting for us in a misty Liverpool were our kind friends from the
Wirral waiting to hear all about our venture.
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