It is with enormous sadness that we bid a final farewell to our much-loved Legal Counsel Damon Ind.
Our kind-hearted, loveable larrikin prosecutor passed away suddenly on Monday, June 17, after suffering a massive heart attack outside our Stepney headquarters.
Damon's passing has come as a terrible and unexpected shock to everyone at RSPCA. Our thoughts are very much with his family, especially his two young sons, Harrison and Sammy, and his partner Jess.
To those of us who worked beside Damon, he was more than a colleague. He was a friend, a kind man, a force to be reckoned with - and the ultimate practical joker.
He regularly came to work with his much-loved rescue dog, Scooby, and the pair would do the rounds of our Stepney offices together. Damon loved a chat.
As our sole prosecutor, Damon was a voice for the voiceless, helping secure justice in court for the animals that most needed RSPCA's help.
Despite dealing daily with our state's very worst cases of disturbing animal cruelty and tragic neglect, Damon was an immensely positive thinker with a contagious passion for life.
Said our CEO, Paul Stevenson: "Damon had great respect for the law and proper legal process.
"Taking out emotion or feelings, he ensured our decision-making was based on animal welfare considerations - seeking justice for directly impacted animals, and future protections for other animals. In almost two years with RSPCA, Damon gained wide respect for his legal expertise in prosecuting animal cruelty cases.
"But it is his positive manner that will be remembered most of all. He was a people person and his smiling personality will be sorely missed."
Said our Chief Inspector, Andrea Lewis: "Damon was an animal lover and, like many of us, he struggled to understand how people could be so cruel to animals that they owned and allegedly loved.
"Yet he always played with a straight bat - one of his many expressions derived from the gentleman's game of cricket."
Damon shared with several RSPCA staff his ambition to become a magistrate - an area where he felt he could make the most positive impact on his community.
He was a devoted father who loved to watch his two sons play sport and to take them camping and fishing on weekends.
His larrikin nature will be missed across RSPCA and his achievements will be remembered forever.
Today, we'd like to reshare this video of Damon speaking last October at our first Combat Cruelty event in Adelaide. We feel it perfectly sums up Damon's irreverent personality, huge heart and his unfailing drive to push for positive change in South Australia.
Rest in peace, Damon. You will so very missed and never forgotten.
