Alumni gather from across the globe to celebrate 40th anniversary
5 December 2008
Fond memories of 1968 came flooding back for a group of Veterinary Science alumni when they recently gathered together from all corners of the globe to celebrate their 40th anniversary at the Grand Pacific Hotel at Lorne in Victoria.
They remised about their veterinary years at the University of Melbourne; when John Gorton ruled the nation, and the Carlton Blues narrowly beat the Essendon Bombers in the grand final of the 1968 VFL season.
Reunion co-organisers, John Burton and Patricia Ellis, said they were absolutely delighted that twenty-nine of a possible thirty-five graduates (83%) were able to attend the reunion dinner. Attendees observed a minute’s silence during the dinner for those sadly missing from their ranks – Terry Nicholls and Ralph Sewell-Staples.
Many of the Class of 1968 are still based in Victoria. However many also travelled to the reunion from Canberra, Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania and, from as far afield as Thailand (Laurie Gleeson), New Zealand (Norm Williamson) and the United States of America (Bob Russell).
Two members of the class of 1967 also attended to catch up with friends not seen for many years – Dick Morton and Ian (Bluey) Carmichael. Dick and Bluey said that when the University of Melbourne Veterinary School reopened in 1964, the incoming classes which later graduated in 1967 and 1968 were really like one big indivisible family.
According to Patricia Ellis, about half of the attendees have retired while the remainder continue to actively use their veterinary degrees in a diverse range of areas including private practice, positions in government service and universities and in consultancy work retirees are scattered across the country and the globe, with Victoria, Queensland and WA seemingly the favoured locations.
Helen Jones described just some of the diverse opportunities she had been exposed to as a result of undertaking the Veterinary Science degree: “I spent ten years as Director International of health sciences at Curtin University in Wetern Australia; had stints working at the Unvieristy of Minnesota in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Public Health; was President of the AVA back in 1983 and led several health science study tours to China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Camobdia, Thailand and Malaysia, to name a few."
One attendee summed the night up well: “It was amazing to see and feel the camaraderie which blossomed after all those years. I look forward to the 50 year bash, but it may be better to think in terms of a 45 year one, as none of us is getting any younger!”
For further information please contact the Marketing Manager, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne, Tel: 8344 7844 or email: