Lefty's Place

Lefty’s Place

by FF_ADMIN | Jan 21, 2021 | Inspiration

Each year at Firefish Creative we like to give something back. We feel January, with all its feeling of newness and possibility, is also an important time to reflect back on the last year, find things to be grateful for and look for those that do good in this world and need a little help on their journey.

And I have to say I am forever grateful to Tamara Kenneally of Lefty’s Place Farm Sanctuary, mainly for keeping me sane with her Lefty’s Place News for the majority of days during the past 12 months. Nothing puts your problems into perspective more than seeing a sunrise over green pastures and grazing sheep, or cheeky chickens inspecting tins of corn in the feed shed. The gorgeous photography, charismatic animals and Tamara’s sense of humour in her Lefty’s Place News posts never fails to put a smile on my face.

Which is one of the reasons why this January we’ve chosen to donate to Lefty’s Place Farm Sanctuary. Not only because we have gained so much from them, but because at Lefty’s Place it’s not all fun and games with everyday farm animals getting up to mischief.

You see, all the animals at Lefty’s Place have fared much worse in their short lives. Each resident has been rescued from a sad and often hidden life of neglect and suffering. Many of the hens are ex-battery hens from cage or free-range farms, or have been rescued from less than ideal situations in suburban backyards. The sheep have come from factory farms or abattoirs, rescued at the eleventh hour. There’s the horses, one of which is a nanny mare foal rescued from a horse stud, and we can’t forget the dogs… one of which is actually a sheep!

All have been nursed back to health by Tamara and given a place to live out their days the way they should, enjoying their freedom. And each and every animal at Lefty’s Place is part of a thriving community of pecking orders, breakfast stealing, roof climbing, car-boot inspections and paddock frolicking.

First and foremost there is the supreme ruler of all, Bobby Bob Bob who was rescued from a cage egg farm in 2014. Bobby takes her job very seriously and can often be found working into the night on her computer, checking lists and organising pecking orders.

Another star resident is Kevin, who is a sheep that thinks he’s a dog, and Greedy who is a pro at stealing Ruby’s breakfast through the fence each morning. Ruby is a nanny mare foal that was taken from her mother at a few days old, then rescued by a kind soul and bottle raised until she was offered her forever home at Lefty’s Place.

Cookie Monster is a cheeky chicken that likes to sit on shoulders and climb on the pen roof, The Babes are a flock of 6 hens and 1 rooster that were rescued from a kindy hatching program, and Kek Kek is a tiny chicken that is a pro at hoarding eggs.

These are just a few of the souls that live at Lefty’s Place and enrich the lives of so many through Tamara’s gorgeous photography and Facebook posts.

It all seems like an idyllic life, but Tamara, who is a photographer, is one very, very brave woman. Not only does she work from sunup to sundown caring for all the souls she’s given a home to, she also uses her amazing photography skills to share the plight of the many mistreated animals in the farming industry of today.

She travels to abattoirs & farms around the country, taking photographs and sharing the story of so many souls that had the misfortune of being born into the meat, egg or dairy industry. It’s extremely harrowing and sad, as she is simply unable to save them all, but she doesn’t let the weight of the job stop her. She is committed to educating us all on the unnecessary suffering of these animals, and it is for this that we thank her.

From following Lefty’s Place, we have learned that so much goes on that the general public are unaware of. Most farming practices are hidden from the public eye, but there is so much unnecessary suffering, so many blind eyes turned, and Tamara bears the pain so we can all learn.

Here at Firefish Creative we endeavour to do work that is good for the world, and believe that as we all walk through our lives we can spare a thought for those that are a product of how we choose to live.

It’s so easy to buy from the shelves of Coles and Woolworths and never consider how it got there. I know at times that it all seems too hard or too sad, but this is what we have created, and this is what we have to do better to change.

I encourage you all to follow Lefty’s Place Farm Sanctuary and feel the joy that the everyday lives of these animals brings. It will, without a doubt, make you smile, but it will also teach you so much more about what has become of the modern world we live in.

There are many issues facing humanity in 2021. Global warming, a pandemic, poverty, starvation… the list goes on. This year we have chosen to support a small organisation that has taken a very big step towards educating us on animal cruelty.

All photos supplied by Tamara Kenneally Photography