In need of some quiet time and partial to the company of animals, Nourish editor Rachael heads to Edgar’s Mission, a not-for-profit farm sanctuary about an hour north of Melbourne. What she finds is the home of kindness, both at this place and within herself.
On arriving back at Edgar’s Mission after five years between visits, something immediately stirs within me, as it does for many who’ve been here before. Is it the anticipation of reconnecting with like-minded friends? Is it the quiet beauty of the country landscape having its way with me? Perhaps it is my eagerness to spend time with animals I don’t get to interact with in my everyday life. It’s all this, and something else too.
Pam’s four-legged teacher
Edgar’s Mission was founded many years ago when Pam Ahern met a great teacher. And that teacher was a pig called Edgar. She says, “If you give yourself over to looking into the eyes of a pig, there before you, staring right back at you, you’ll see a living, breathing, feeling being who is thinking too.” A moment of realisation like this can be life-changing and for Pam, it set her on a new path that led to the creation of Edgar’s Mission.
This kind of realisation is part of what I felt stirring within me upon my return here; a remembering that I was in the presence of many gentle teachers, and that these teachers could show me the way to the very best of myself. You see, in providing a home to rescued farmed animals the sanctuary gives us the opportunity to meet these unique beings on their own terms.
What Pam set out to create with Edgar’s Mission is a place where animals can peacefully live out their lives, and this is exactly what it does. Today, this very special place provides a guarantee of lifelong love and care for over 450 residents, rescued and rehabilitated from various degrees of injury, abandonment or neglect.
A beacon of kindness
The sanctuary is indeed a much-needed beacon of kindness, whether you witness that kindness in the actions of others, experience it as your questions are answered without judgement, or you find it emerge within yourself.
The power of kindness in action is central to the work of Edgar’s Mission, both for the animals whose love for life, trust and forgiveness inspires many to live more kindly, and for the visitors who tap into the kindness within themselves. Pam says, “Kindness simply feels good. Sometimes known as the ‘helper’s high’, kindness increases our energy, our happiness, our lifespan and our pleasure, along with the hormones oxytocin and serotonin, whilst decreasing our pain, stress, anxiety, depression and blood pressure. Another spin-off from acts of kindness is that they are contagious, firing off in the brains of those witnessing the act.”
Mucking in
A sanctuary tour is a beautiful way to connect with the many fine characters around the sanctuary, but to experience something even more special, you’re going to need a pair of gumboots. From Piggy Paradise to Cow Town, from the Duck Pond to Goat Mountain beyond, every enclosure on this huge property is lovingly tended by staff with the help of a dedicated volunteer network.
I was a regular vollie back when I lived in Melbourne, and it was deeply rewarding to spend some peaceful hours mucking in again this time. As I quietly clean Ray Ray’s pen, she follows the sound of my rake and gently nudges at my leg in search of scratches. She’s a sheep who was born without eyes, but no less of a desire to connect with the world than anyone else, which she does via touch and sound. Her companion and ‘seeing eye buddy’, Lambini, wears a bell so she can find him, and today they both jostle against me in the hopes of a Weet-bix, but are contented with a cuddle and some kind words.
Sustaining my plant-based path
As I prepare to leave this special place, I finally catch what it is that’s been stirring under the surface for me. It’s a reconnection to my own inherent kindness, a kindness we all share but often disconnect from amid the harsh realities of the world. The simple act of cleaning out a little house in Chicken Village, with an ex-battery hen waiting patiently on the porch, was my teacher this time. It was the sense of humbly offering my service, quietly and behind the scenes for the good of another. And doing so without requiring anything in return, knowing she had no way to thank me. The work was its own thanks – the knowledge that my small actions made this little lady’s life better in some way.
What waits behind the gates at Edgar’s Mission is a place where the most compassionate ideals are realised, and a path towards these ideals beyond the gates become clearer. I am moved by this place because it is here that I stumbled upon my best self many years ago, and it is here I found her again today. It’s true that the gift of kindness is as much for you as the giver as it is for the receiver.
***
Edgar’s Mission offers numerous ways to get involved, from sanctuary tours and volunteering days to school visits and a curriculum-friendly humane education program. You can also contribute from a distance by donating, adopting a resident, making a purchase from their online shop, or taking part in one of their pledges or campaigns. Note that visits to Edgar’s Mission must be pre-booked.
