– ‘My little girl’s first words weren’t mum or dad, it was baa.’
A MADDINGLEY resident has been allowed to keep a ram as a pet despite the objections of neighbours.
Moorabool Council has ordered Godwin Aquilina to construct an internal fence to contain ‘Jackie Chan’ after several reports of the ram charging nearby residents.
In a terse, hour-long debate where councillors exchanged heated words and East Moorabool ward’s Cr Tonia Dudzik was cautioned for bad language, the council permitted Mr Aquilina to keep the seven-year-old merino on his Love Close property.
Cr Pat Toohey argued Mr Aquilina was not in a financial position to provide sufficient means to keep the ram under control.
“It has a tendency to escape. We need to put aside emotion; it’s not a suitable home for the ram,” he said.
Cr Toohey’s comments met an angry rebuke from Cr Dudzik, who said it was rude and offensive to make assumptions about what a family “can and can’t do”.
“How dare we take it away? If we take it away we’re a pack of bastards. Give the ram a chance.”
Mr Aquilina said he would “bend over backwards” to keep his sheep, which had been a family pet for seven years.
“My little girl’s first words weren’t mum or dad, it was baa,” he said.
“He’s a much-loved pet, like a pet dog. He comes when called. He thinks he’s a dog; he’d lick you to death.”
The council also ordered that the ram be desexed within 14 days of a permit application, subject to a veterinary report.
The permit would be immediately revoked if the ram escaped again.
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