On-Demand THRIVE Webinar | Giving Back to Gain More | How does volunteering help both the individual and the team thrive?
5 August, 2025 @ 7:00 pm - 6 August, 2026 @ 11:30 pm AEST
Free
Volunteers play a powerful role in building bridges, fostering trust and creating meaningful relationships within and beyond the veterinary field. These connections don’t just benefit those being helped, they also enrich the lives of volunteers themselves, providing a sense of belonging and purpose.
This sense of belonging and purpose are protective factors for our mental health, with volunteering connected to lower rates of depression and reduced mortality.
Since Ancient Greece, doing good has been known to be good for our wellbeing and now positive psychology has incorporated this sense of purpose as an essential pillar in wellbeing frameworks.
In this facilitated Q & A Session we will hear firsthand from Bill and Alison Taylor from The Canberra Vet Mob, and Dr Rebecca Faris, AVA EO for Wellness about how giving back enriches our personal and professional lives.
Who should attend
All members of the veterinary team.
Learning outcomes
This webinar will be a blend of information and facilitated questions from participants. It aims to address the what, why, where and how of veterinary volunteering.
If you have a question you want asked please email rebecca.faris@ava.com.au upon registering and we will make sure it get’s asked.
Further details
If you previously registered for the live webinar held on the 5th August 2025, please follow the steps below to access the on demand recording on My Learning:
Browse to https://mylearning.ava.com.au
Click on the Personal account button
If you are prompted, log in with your AVA website account*
When you land on the My Learning Home Page, click on the Record of Learning button. IMPORTANT: the webinar course will appear in approximately 5 minutes. You can refresh your browser during this time to speed up the process a little.
* Don’t have an AVA website account? Click here to create an account and follow the prompts. Following this, your new account and the on demand webinar will be available within the next hour. After this time, please return to the steps above.
Our speakers
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- Dr Alison Taylor
- Biography
Alison is a highly skilled veterinarian with a passion for animal welfare and public health. Her career began in mixed practice in country NSW before transitioning to small animal care in the UK. In Canberra, she co-founded Capital Paws Veterinary Group, where she has helped shape independent veterinary services in the ACT and beyond. Alison's commitment to improving animal health extends far beyond her clinical work—she has spent years working in remote Indigenous communities across the Northern Territory. As a co-founder of The Vet Mob, she has led efforts to deliver desexing and parasite control programs in remote towns and outstations. Alison is also deeply engaged in veterinary advocacy and mentoring. She serves on the board of AMRRIC, contributes to Pets in the Park, and has played a key role in graduate mentoring programs, including those within the AVA. Her leadership in antimicrobial stewardship reflects her dedication to advancing responsible veterinary practices.
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- Dr Rebecca Faris
- Biography
Dr Rebecca Faris has an innate curiosity that has led her along a wiggly career path. Living and working rurally her whole life she started out as a mixed vet, gaining membership of the ANZCVS in dairy medicine before transitioning into small animal and emergency practice. She has a passion for people and has post graduate qualifications in applied positive psychology. After gaining valuable experience as a school-based wellbeing educator and gender equality advocate, she established FlourishEd, to provide targeted wellbeing education for organsiations keen to create environments where their people flourish. Excited to bring her skills back to the veterinary profession she has recently commenced as Executive Officer for Wellness at the AVA and looks forward to integrating her experience to build a thriving veterinary profession.
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- Dr William Taylor
- Biography
Bill is a dedicated veterinarian with decades of experience in both mixed practice and small animal care. Originally working in country NSW and the UK, he later co-founded Capital Paws Veterinary Group, an independent network of veterinary hospitals servicing the ACT and surrounding regions. Beyond his work in Canberra, Bill has been a driving force in improving animal health in remote Indigenous communities. His commitment to these communities led to the creation of the Canberra Mob Indigenous Dog Health Programme in 2009, which later evolved into The Vet Mob. For 16 years, Bill has helped lead The Vet Mob’s twice-yearly trips to the Northern Territory, providing consistent, high-quality veterinary care in remote areas. His expertise, compassion, and dedication have played a vital role in improving the wellbeing of both animals and people in these communities.
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Our sponsors
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