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CFCS Champions – Cage Free Campus (30nov08)

30 Nov 2008 /
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Cage Free Campus
November 30, 2008
 
Two of our very own Cage Free Campus Society committee members were nominated for the Inaugural Voiceless Animal Advocates Student of the Year Award at the Voiceless Grants Awards Event which was held at The Mint in Sydney last Monday. A big congratulations goes out to CFCS general committee member Lakshinee Kodituwakku and CFCS treasurer and co-founder Shatha Hamade who both made it into the final top 6 nominees for the Award.

We are extremely thrilled and proud to announce that Shatha was awarded with the top honour of VAA Student of the Year!!!!!!!!
Here is a snippet from the VAA website about the evening:
VAA Ambassador Lindsay McDougall was on hand to present Shatha with her Award, which included a two-day enrolment at the Minding Animals Conference to be held in July next year. The Event was a huge success and we were lucky enough to be joined by a number of special guests including: former NSW Premier Bob Carr, Australian Law Reform Commission President David Weisbrot, Hugo Weaving, Lindsay McDougall and Imogen Bailey.
(http://www.vaa.org.au/engage/blog/and_the_winner_is.html)
Shatha, a postgraduate law student, has recently completed her degree at the University of Melbourne and intends to use her degree to help animals. In fact, she was the driving force behind establshing animal law as an elective in the Melbourne Uni law programme!
Below are a few photos of Shatha and Lakshinee at the Awards event in Sydney. In the words of Ms. Hamade, "Who ever thought that being an animal rights advocate could be so glamorous!!"

Shatha Hamade with her Award for Voiceless Animal Advocate Student of the Year

From left: Brian Sherman (Founder of Voiceless); Shatha Hamade; Lakshinee Kodituwakku; Hugo Weaving (actor and Voiceless Ambassador)

From left: Sarah Kossew (lawyer for Voiceless); Aaron Scheibner (film producer); Shatha, Lakshinee, Imogen Bailey (model, TV personality and generally gorgeous person)

As if all that wasn’t enough, CFCS Mentor and founder of the Cage Free Campus campaign in Australia, Kathleen Chapman, also took home a grant for her work campaigning against factory farming. What an achievement!

If you are a law student with a concern for the plight of non-human animals in Australia, you may be interested in becoming a Voiceless Animal Advocate. Check out their website for more info: http://www.vaa.org.au/

Speaking of Voiceless, this organisation has recently released it’s ground-breaking expose of Australian broiler chicken (meat chicken) factories. Over 450 million birds each year spend their short lives confined in these factories which are often mistaken for "farms". You can read the report, From Nest to Nugget, here: http://www.voiceless.org.au/The_Issues/Misc/From_Nest_to_Nugget.html

While you’re there, check out the Consumer Action Sheet for tips on how YOU can make a difference to the lives of these animals!

Once again, CONGRATULATIONS to Shatha, Lakshinee and Kathleen!!! We are so proud of you!!!