It was the year when Prime Minister Harold Holt went missing while swimming at Portsea on 17 December; indigenous Australians obtained the right to vote in a national referendum; the Beatles released their top-selling single ‘All You Need Is love’, and a historical occasion for the University of Melbourne, which saw 38 Veterinary Science students graduate after the reopening of the Veterinary School in 1963 – it was 1967.

Over forty years later, on Saturday 22 December 2007, twenty-four of the original group of 1967 veterinary graduates were reunited, many for the first time in four decades, at a memorable reunion dinner held at Werribee Park Mansion.

The class of ’67 travelled from all over the globe to reminisce about the good old days, with Dr Stan Alkemade, flying over 16,000 kilometres, from Ontario, Canada to meet up with his old classmates.

Many of the graduates have had exciting, successful careers from setting up their own veterinary practices, to being experts in the academic arena, with one alumnus even starting up a leading international project management company for the pharmaceutical industry.

Jo Bell nee Hawkes, who grew up in country Victoria said: “Many things have changed in relation to the veterinary degree since the sixties. One of the major changes is that forty years ago along with myself, there were only five other female students who graduated with a degree in Veterinary Science (sixteen percent). However, in 2007, the majority of the graduates were female (eighty-three percent).

“Although many of us travelled abroad once we had graduated, most of the class of ’67 were from Victoria, but today, students on the course are from all over the world.  This is testament to the Veterinary School’s outstanding international reputation.

“It was great to catch up with all my old classmates, and to see Professor Jubb again, who was Professor of Pathology when we graduated. He later became the Dean for the next 21 years.”

Dr Stan Alkemade, who was alphabetically the first official graduate of the class of ’67 commented: “At the reunion dinner it was great to discover the fantastic life stories of many of my colleagues. Six of them enjoyed their time together on the course so much that they decided to make a permanent commitment to each other by tying the knot!

“It was also great to hear how seven of my colleagues’ children ended up following in their parents’ footsteps by undertaking a rewarding career in the veterinary arena.”

Other highlights of the reunion included a tour of the redeveloped Veterinary Clinic and Hospital based in Werribee, which was undertaken by recently retired and former Dean, Professor Ivan Caple; and lunch in Kendall Hall where the 1967 graduates recalled many memorable events.

Photo back: Chris Bunn, Rick Walduck, Peter Gleeson, Wendy Wood, Ian Fairnie, Stan Alkemade, Janan Iswaran, Fred Funston, Susan Bate, Derek Gooey, Ian Carmichael, IgorRadwyl, Liam Morrisroe, David Mira-Batemen, David Pass, Patrick Mornane and Richard Morton
Front: Kevin Bell, Wayne Robinson, Jo Hawkes, Janet Nevill, Lindsay Hooper and Martin Haynes
Inset: John Hyland

Contact: Andrea Jones

Phone: 8344 7844

A thirty-year ‘belated’ reunion of the University of Melbourne’s veterinary science class of 1977 was held over the weekend of the 26 and 27 April 2008 at Werribee.

In a stroke of serendipity, the reunion coincided with the celebration of World Veterinary Day, the theme of which was the diversity of the veterinary profession. Diversity is strongly reflected in the career paths forged by the 44 graduates who are working across the areas of farming, academia, state and federal government, animal welfare, consultancy, research, racing and industry and private practice. Those attending the reunion flew in from around Australia as well as from the United States, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

As the nominated 1977 year representative, Jack Winterbottom, now a veterinary officer with the Victorian Department of Primary Industries, put his hand up to be on the organising committee for the event.

“Our year has only had one previous reunion, twenty years ago, so there’s a lot of water gone under the bridge, or fat laid down. It’s a turn of phrase that seems particularly apt for a veterinarian.”

The weekend’s events began with a tour of the Werribee Vet School on Saturday afternoon followed by afternoon tea. Dinner on Saturday evening was held at Kendall Hall, where most of the graduates resided in the last two years of their course. During dinner, the current Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Professor Ken Hinchcliff, gave an address on the developments in the Faculty in the intervening years and its future directions.

Each of the 26 attending graduates was invited to give a brief account of their careers and the paths they have taken. A significant proportion of graduates have spent several years to decades in private practice overseas, mainly in the United Kingdom, before returning to Australia.  Some of the more unusual journeys include Bob Jones’ appointment at the Melbourne Aquarium, Alison Turner’s transition from animal health to human health as the CEO of the National Blood Authority and Alex Tinson’s years spent working with camels in the Middle East.

 Many of the attendees spent the evening at Werribee Mansion and on Sunday morning they were taken for a behind the scenes look at Werribee Zoo. The weekend concluded with lunch at Werribee Mansion, where, we can only hope, not too much more fat was laid down.

Photo:  Veterinary Science class of 77

Contact: Andrea Jones

Phone: 8344 7844

A group of Veterinary Science students, who graduated from the University of Melbourne from 2002 through to 2007, recently gathered in Singapore to attend a lively alumni reception dinner.

The event was held on Sunday 24 February 2008 at the Copthorne King’s Hotel, and provided the group with the opportunity to meet up with old friends, network and catch up on the latest news.

Honorary senior fellow and former international student mentor, Mike Harrison, who hosted the event on behalf of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, said: “It was great to see friendly faces, and to find out how successful our graduates are in developing their veterinary careers.

“Some are employed in private practice, one graduate is currently working with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, and four are employed by the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) Singapore.”

Cheryl Goh, who graduated in 2005, and is currently the Deputy Head of the Emergency Planning Unit of the AVA, commented: “It was a wonderful evening, providing the ideal opportunity for both old and new graduates to revitalise and forge new friendships.

“These events are extremely important as they provide opportunities to share knowledge and experiences, which is especially helpful for newly qualified veterinarians practising in Singapore. We want to build a strong veterinary alumni network here in Singapore.”

Photo from left:  Tan Qing Hui (2002), Wong Su Yen (Sarah) (2004), Jassia Pang (2007), Audrey Chen (2007), Song V-lynn (2004) partly obscured, Mike Harrison, Yan Yuan (Grace) (2004), Dervla Lim (2004), Chan Mun Ling (2004), Cheryl Goh (2005), Tong Boon Yew Kenneth (2006).

Contact: Andrea Jones

Phone: 8344 7844