Australian firefighters play key role in charity drive for Taiwan stray dogs

Taipei, Oct. 27 (CNA) An event held Monday to donate funds for the care of stray dogs in Taiwan highlighted the role of Australian firefighters who are featured on an annual calendar.

The Australian Firefighters Calendar, a company known for its calendars featuring photos of shirtless male firefighters, teamed up with the Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (ANZCham Taiwan) to donate NT$80,000 (US$2,601.88) from its calendar sales to a stray dog shelter in Taipei.

At a press event in Taipei, Director of Australian Firefighters Calendar David Rogers said the firefighters are usually chosen from all around Australia, from Melbourne to Perth and the Great Barrier Reef region.

The first criterion is that they need to identify with the "charity side" of the business and be willing to give back through donations or dedication of their personal time, he said.

"They have to look fit and strong, which is important, but to me the most important thing is they've got to be good people," Rogers said, in response to questions about the process of choosing the firefighters for the calendar.

Each year, Rogers said, his team turns down 100-150 firefighters, due to the large number of applicants.

Alex Eldridge, one of the models who has been featured on the Australian Firefighters Calendar, said it was a rewarding process.

"I'm a dog lover myself, so it's nice to be able to give back to charities that we resonate with," Eldridge said at the press event held at Taipei Expo Park, where the donation was made.

In keeping with the tradition over the past four years, one NGO was selected as the beneficiary. This year, it was Dog Home Taiwan, a stray dog shelter in Taipei, which received the NT$80,000 cash donation from ANZCham Taiwan.

Ezydog, an Australian manufacturer of dog accessories, also donated NT$80,000-worth of products to the stray dog shelter at Monday's event.

Glenn Lio (劉少浡), executive director of ANZCham Taiwan, told CNA that the size of the donation is usually based on sales of the Australian Firefighters Calendar.

The funds donated this year were raised from the sales of previous calendars, according to Lio.

On November 4, ANZCham Taiwan will hold its Melbourne Cup Charity Luncheon at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Taipei for the fourth consecutive year to continue its fundraising drive for the care of stray dogs in Taiwan and for other causes, Lio said.

Some of the Australian firefighters featured on this year's calendar participated in the Taiwan Pride parade in Taipei on Saturday and gave away free calendars, according to Lio.

The Australian firefighters will engage in exchanges with firefighting squads in Taitung County and Kaohsiung this week and will also attend the Melbourne Cup Charity Luncheon on Nov. 4, he added.