Pupils from small primary schools across central Victoria will adopt and learn about a zoo animal as part of a new program to create brighter futures funded through the Terry Floyd Foundation.
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Daryl Floyd last year set up the foundation to make childrens' lives better in memory of his brother Terry who was just 12 when he was abducted and murdered while waiting for a lift home from Avoca to Maryborough in 1975.
Earlier this year the foundation bought together pupils from seven small schools across central Victoria including Amphitheatre, Bealiba, Elmhurst and others, for an excursion to Sovereign Hill where they could have fun and meet each other.
With COVID-19 quashing plans for further get-togethers for now, the foundation has set up a program linking the schools with their own sponsored animal at Halls Gap Zoo.
And hopefully, if social distancing rules are relaxed enough by the end of the year, they children will once again meet this time at the zoo where they will also meet their animals.
"Our focus is the small regional primary schools that don't get enough funding and are a little more limited in providing some of these extras," Mr Floyd said.
The foundation will pay for the first month of adoption fees and schools will receive literature about the animals, their habitat, feeding habits and more.
At the end of each month Halls Gap Zoo will do a live feed with the keepers and students so children can ask questions and see their animal.
Mr Floyd was working on the program before the coronavirus pandemic, hoping to raise awareness particularly about native species following the bushfires.
"By reaching out to kids learning about these animals fro a young age it might be that they choose to take on a career down the track in relation to this," he said.
Louis Franc, who is principal of the three-student Amphitheatre Primary School, said providing extra opportunities like this would be difficult without the foundation's sponsorship.
"This is going to be an engaging concept using multimedia to engage the kids with live vision and sponsoring an animal - it makes a strong link with literature and providing reading materials for our kids to connect with," he said.
Mr Floyd said primary schools were one focus of the foundation because Terry had just left primary school when he disappeared.
"Terry never got that opportunity to continue with his childhood, to have this chance in life to do these sort of things.
"The foundation in Terry's honour builds awareness and a brighter future for kids."
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