40th anniversary celebrations for veterinary graduates
Press release
7 January 2008
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 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.
For further information please contact the Marketing Manager, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Tel: 8344 7844 or email: vet-communications@unimelb.edu.au