Thirty years on for University of Melbourne’s Veterinary Science class of ‘77

Media Release, Tuesday 29 April 2008

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

In a stroke of serendipity, the reunion coincided with the celebration of World Veterinary Day, the theme of which is 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.