Close to 40 students from the James Cook University Veterinary Science Class of 2017 have posed in their birthday suits for the ‘Vets Uncovered’ nude calendar from which a portion of all proceeds raised will go towards rural mental health charity Tie Up the Black Dog.
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Class member Courtney Scott who hails from a cattle property near Windorah said the idea was inspired by the 2015 graduating class calendar.
“We’ve been working hard on our studies for the past four years, and with the end of our uni lives in sight plans for graduation and fundraising commenced,” Courtney said.
“We thought doing the calendar would be a fun way to raise money for our graduation ball but also as a way to help assist the rural communities that a lot of us come from,” she said.
“We got in touch with the committee at Tie Up the Black Dog and organised for 10 per cent of proceeds from the sale of the calendars and any surplus funds left over from the ball to go to the charity.
She said Tie Up the Black Dog was chosen because the foundation supports people that are struggling with mental illness in the current challenging rural environment which has been worsened by the drought.
“The veterinary industry also has one of the highest mental illness and suicide rates of any profession, and we thought raising awareness for that linked in well with the great work that Tie Up the Black Dog does.”
Courtney hopes the calendar will inspire others to have the courage to trust those around them, and not be afraid to open up about problems they’re currently dealing with in silence.
She said nerves where high among the students during the first few photo sessions but by the end everyone was a lot more comfortable.
“We were a pretty close-knit group to start with but we’re definitely even closer now,” she said jokingly.
The uniting theme of the photos that will appear in the calendar is of the students situated in natural rural settings with the livestock many of them will end up working with during their careers prominent in many shots.
“We’re more rural focused then most other vet schools and we wanted to get that across in the calendar.”
“We did photo sessions at the uni with some of the livestock and in the surgery rooms so people can get an idea of what we do, we then ventured out to Charters Towers for on-property shots at Barry and Liz Miller’s Rhondu Stud and Mick and Lynda Bethel’s famed Texas Longhorn wagon tour and safari operation at Leahton Park.
“I’d like to thank Vicki Miller from Vicki Miller Photography and Carola Bradshaw from Blue-Berri Design, who’s professional services were crucial to the calendar being created.
The 2016 ‘Vets Uncovered’ calendar will be printed by October but those interested can pre-purchase it through the website https://www.vetsuncovered.com/