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By Gabrielle Costa

8th May 2007 08:43:39 AM

Friends for life … Pam Ahern with Melbourne the sheep and Edgar Alan Pig.

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OUT at Willowmavin, just past Kilmore, there’s a haven for animals, large and small.

It’s called Edgar’s Mission, and is home to Pam Ahern’s veritable menagerie. There are pigs, cows, horses, sheep, cats, dogs, chickens – all manner of farm animals that may otherwise have met an untimely end.

Rusty the guard goat greets visitors and Chicquin the rooster makes his presence known, clucking away and circling Ms Ahern, keen to be in on the action. Each animal has a name – and a very distinct personality.

Officially opened last October, Edgar’s Mission is a refuge for farm animals that may have been treated cruelly, or that were destined for the butcher shop or knackery. It is named in honour of Edgar Alan Pig, Pam Ahern’s porcine pal who has been with her for about four years.

Edgar recently celebrated his fourth birthday, an event that coincided with a Compassion-art Festival at the 25-hectare property. About 250 people came along on the day, and some of the visiting children brought Edgar birthday cards, which now line his bedroom. And he was given a roll of carpet as a present – he’s not fond of concrete floors.

Some of the animals are stars whose movie days are over. Several pigs are connected to the recent production Charlotte’s Web. One sow appeared in the opening scene, suckling piglets. Then there’s Bur, short for Wilbur, who sits obediently and waits to be handfed. He walked the red carpet with child star Dakota Fanning at the premiere of the film.

Edgar Alan Pig, a landrace large white cross, appeared in a photo shoot with actor James Cromwell, the farmer in Babe.

“He was meant to be bacon,” Ms Ahern said as Edgar grunted deeply and rolled onto his side. She scratched his belly and explained that the deep grunt is his way of greeting. “He loves a tummy rub,” she said. “He’s so much more than bacon, pork and ham.”

Ms Ahern sees herself as the guardian of all the creatures that call Edgar’s Mission home. The motto of the farm is “Our mission is kindness”.

Her goal is to inform people about the way some farm animals are treated – hens kept in battery cages, sows kept in tiny stalls to raise piglets, calves removed from their mothers so the milk can be collected for human consumption.

Ms Ahern visits public events – often with a pig in tow – to spread the word, but she never demands that people stop eating meat or eggs, or drinking milk. “We’re actually asking people to think about it … They can go away and decide for themselves how they think they should live.”

She has visits from people who come to see the animals up close, and to walk the Kindness Trail, which is dotted with inspirational messages and quotes.

Nursing home residents drop in to see the animals and occasionally school groups come out, but Ms Ahern said she would like to see more. Entry is free, but donations are welcome. “We’re trying to give back to the community as well,” Ms Ahern said.

Edgar’s Mission has a website: www.edgarsmission.org.au.

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