He has played in front crowds of 100,000 in some of the biggest stadiums around the world, and while the number wasn’t quite that size last Sunday, Socceroo legend Tim Cahill admitted he was a little overwhelmed with the turnout.
Cahill, who was announced late last week as the inaugural ambassador of the Greyhounds As Pets NSW program, was making his first public appearance in his new role at the organisation’s Adoption Day at Lyne Park in Rose Bay.
The venue was awash with hundreds of people - singles, couples, and particularly families - all wanting to pat a dog, while the children split their time between face painting, jumping castles, and trying to convince their parents they needed to take one of the greyhounds home as a pet.
“I’m overwhelmed … but I’m really happy,” Australia’s all-time leading goal scorer said. “It’s just a reflection of all the hard work that we have put in over the last year and all the people involved behind the scenes who support such an amazing initiative.
“I think the key thing is the education, like I keep talking about. I’m learning more every day and I’m privileged to be involved, and at the same time excited for the future.”
By the end of the day another 17 dogs had found new homes, with a further 40 applications for greyhounds being lodged online after the event.
Those numbers mean that for 2018-19, almost 700 dogs have been rehomed through the GAPNSW program, surpassing what many thought was an ambitious target of 650.
Cahill said Sunday’s turnout and results were among the reasons he became involved.
“Seeing that response yesterday makes it all worthwhile, and that’s why I’m doing this. It’s not just something you do as a hobby, it’s actually a responsibility and big responsibility that needs a great deal of my time and effort,” he explained.
“I will have been back in Australia for six days (during this trip) and 80 per cent of my time has been about this program. It’s not about football, it’s something different. I’m retired.
“The great thing about this is that I can be in any country in the world and have conference calls and meetings about the next programs and platforms.
“I’ve always been outside of the box with things I do off the park and I see this as a great educational program for myself and something that stimulates me mentally, combined with the fact that I love dogs, my family love dogs, and everyone has had some sort of relationship with animals.
“For me it’s just about improving the situation. My job is to rehome them and be a part of raising awareness and I feel we’ve ticked every box so far and more, and there is still so much more to learn and to progress from that as well.”
Cahill also adopted his own greyhound on the trip, “a beautiful blue girl” his children have named Luna Moana -or Lumo for short - which means Blue in Samoan. On Monday she headed up with him to his family’s farm in Byron Bay.
“She’s pretty special,” he said. “She’s going to my parents’ farm. It will be difficult not being with her all the time but I‘ll be visiting every time I’m back in Australia.
“But the thing is, they are my parents - my mum and dad - and she’s going to be loved and cared for while I’m not there, and be on the farm with the cows, and other dogs, and my cousins, and my nephews and nieces will all be giving her love and affection.”
