Board Members

PEG McDONALD OAM CF

Vice Chair

Peggy McDonald was born with a love of animals and along with her late father began caring for, and releasing, injured native reptiles. In the early 1990s her love of birds and understanding of their rehabilitation requirements began to unfold.

NPWS seized a Gang-gang cockatoo and handed him over to her for care. This bird taught her how remarkable, intelligent and what very special creatures birds are.

In 1992 Peg was introduced to the world of raptors by the late Jerry Olsen, and so began 30 years of dedication to learn and share more knowledge about these magnificent apex predators, the athletes of the sky.

Peggy’s working life began at The University of Sydney in the veterinary faculty as a medical technologist. She travelled away with Australian Volunteers Abroad, working in a laboratory in Borneo and including a stint with the orangutans in Sandakan.

She continued her wildlife rehabilitation work and founded the Wingecarribee WIRES branch which is still going to this day.

In 2012 she completed the first of an eventual five internships at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital. During that initial placement she learnt there were gold standards in rehabilitation that we could and should be attaining, and her driving spark and passion to witness Australia move towards the forefront of exceptional world standards had been lit.

Together with builder and friend Ross Robinson, the support of friends and the NSW Southern Highlands community she went on to voluntarily found, create and manage the Higher Ground Raptor Rehabilitation Centre - the home of the largest free flight aviary complexes of their type in the Southern Hemisphere.

To encourage the acceptance of international methods of raptor rehabilitation adapted to use in Australian species, Peggy realised that studies proving their efficacy would need to be conducted. Thus, Australian Raptor Care and Conservation was conceived to be a repository of knowledge and contributor to the science around the natural history, care, survival and conservation of Australian birds of prey.

It is Peggy’s dream and vision to see Australian rehabilitation practices move towards the gold standard witnessed in other countries. To further this goal she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship and travelled to raptor rehabilitation centres of excellence worldwide in 2018. Her subject was ‘To Advance and exchange our knowledge of Australian raptor rehabilitation and release techniques’.

The Churchill journey and her subsequent report have proven invaluable in the push for better practice for both birds of prey and their rehabilitators alike.

She received an OAM in 2021 for “Services to Conservation and the Environment”.

DR ELLEN RASIDI

Secretary

Ellen began nursing at an avian specialty veterinary practice in Melbourne in 2002 and since then has been a passionate carer and supporter of all things with wings. After getting a few degrees, dabbling in research and international conservation projects, she finally decided to take the plunge and become an avian vet herself, and graduated from the University of Sydney in 2015. She completed externships at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota during her veterinary studies, and an internship in Avian and Exotic Medicine and Surgery after graduation. She worked in private Avian and Exotic practice in Australia for several years before moving in 2018 to Bird Paradise (formerly Jurong Bird Park) in Singapore, where she has been an avian veterinarian for the last 5 years, part of a team looking after nearly 4000 birds, representing 400 species.

She met Peggy and Melanie Barsony during an externship at the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital and immediately clicked with the cause and ethos of ARCC Inc. Ellen is keen to contribute to the pool of veterinary and scientific knowledge of Australian raptors through clinical research, and to continually improve the veterinary care available to these birds.

MARK KELLY

Public Officer

Mark first met Peg in 2012, during a design course at Mossvale TAFE. As a child, he had a

fascination for reptiles and had an extensive collection of lizards in his parents' backyard. However, his love for bushcraft and reptiles got him banned by the local librarian, who

instructed him to read a storybook instead.

Recognizing the need to publicize the great work done by Peg and her team, Mark became

ARCC Inc’s photographer.

Mark Kelly is a sculptor based in the Southern Highlands. During the lockdown, he picked up

a plasma torch as a new hobby and honed his sculpting skills. With a background in engineering, software development, and photography, Mark can dip into the relevant skillset

when creating unique work. He continues to be inspired by nature.

ADELLE SCOTT

Treasurer

DR CHARLIE CARTER

Chair

Charlie graduated from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Veterinary Science in 2000, and has been a mixed-practice vet for 23 years. During that time he has worked in regional and rural locations in both Australia and the UK but has been part of the Southern Highlands Veterinary Centre team since 2006.

From a young age growing up on a farm he was passionate about animals, wildlife and wildlife conservation and has been fortunate to visit some amazing wild places in Australia, South and Central America, Asia, Africa and even Antarctica.

He has been working with Peg McDonald for the past 14 years and really enjoys the collaborative, collegiate approach of both ARCC and the Higher Ground Raptor Centre, and the dedicated and passionate team members. Helping Australia’s birds of prey has been the most rewarding part of Charlie’s veterinary career.