By KRISTIN MACFARLANE in Rotorua
The sparkling faces of students like 6-year-old Connor Orford makes decades of organising Pet Day all worthwhile for Mary Wood.
The Reporoa Primary School teacher has been putting together the annual Pet Day, which used to be known as the Calf Club, for
the last 25 years because she loves to see children taking care of other living creatures.
Pet Day is an annual event where students take their animals to school to be judged on leading, calling and care and attention.
This year there were lambs, calves, dogs, cats, birds, chickens, fish, goats and rabbits involved in the day and Mrs Wood just loves the whole concept of the event.
Not only has she seen students excited about their pets of all kinds, she has also seen her two children Leon Wood, 30, and Trudy Inglis, 28, love and care for animals in school and out of school.
Even before she took on the organising role Mrs Wood was involved by allowing other children to use her family's pet lamb for the day.
"I just think it helps children, their tolerance to animals and I think caring for animals is something special and I love animals too," Mrs Wood said.
The highlight is the look on the children's faces when they are showing off their pets.
Even though the number of the animals involved in the Pet Days over the years has dwindled because roll numbers have decreased, the event is always something to look forward to. She said the children were now getting more into the event than in past years.
"I think we're becoming more child orientated and the children are doing more than the parents," she said. And there looks set to be more annual Pet Days for Reporoa Primary School under the guidance of Mrs Wood.
"I just do it because I like working with the kids.
"Their little smiles, that's the most rewarding thing, how they love their pets and their animals."
