VN June 2021

Vetnuus | Junie 2021 2 Furthermore, while we have entered the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine roll out, we have yet to receive confirmation from the Department ofHealththattheomissionofvetsfromthephase2essentialworkerslistwill berectified.ThisinspiteofCOGTAre-assuringthechiefveterinaryofficerthat theyagree inprinciplewithour inclusion, and thematterwill be takenupat the joint DG`s cluster. SAVA again sent our letter to the DoH and DALRRD justbeforephase2commencedinMay,requestingthatvetsareincludedin phase2.Whateverone`sopinionofthevariousvaccines`efficacyandsafety, it is disturbing that we are omitted from this list. On balance of scientific evidence most agree that vaccination is an important part of protecting oneself against the disease, and vaccines are somewhat in short supply on our continent at the moment. It is ironic that mountain rescuers were able to get themselves onto the phase 2 essential workers list, when youwould imagine that their risk of contracting COVID-19 from a stranded hiker is somewhat lower, given thenumbers atplay! I was fortunate to be able to attend the World Veterinary Association virtual General Assembly at the end of April. It was great to communicate with colleagues fromall over the world, albeit over the zoomplatform. It is enlighteningtoupdateoneselfonthemanyactivitiesoftheWVA,especially in thesechallenging times. SAVA can be proud of our WVA Councillor for Africa, Dr Clive Marwick, who also chairs theWVA Finance Committee with distinction. An exciting development was the utilisation of a digital voting platformat theWVAGA. Although it requires a bit of fine tuning in terms of communication and the timeallotted tocast avote, it generallyproceededextremelyefficiently. SpeakingofFinancematters,ourSAVADirectorofFinance,DrRickMapham, is stepping down after an extended term of office. We would like to thank Rick for his years of excellent service on the SAVA board, FinCo and ExCo andwishhimwellwithhis increasedwork commitments. SAVA is therefore looking for a new finance director, preferably from the ranks of those who have experience of serving on FedCo. The position is mainly one of oversight, as our professional MD Gert Steyn, accountant Susan Heine and bookkeeper Sonja Ludick handle most operational matters and the preparationof financials for FedCo, BoD, FinCoandAGM. Iwas able toattendmost of theSouthAfricanVeterinaryFoundation (SAVF) AGM and meeting on the 8th of May. The foundation plays a crucial role in the support of veterinary research in our country and is at present very well run by chair Didi Claassen and her board. Thank you to them for their commitment to the SAVF and to new board member Dr Japhta Mokoele, for availing himself to join the Board after the emigration of Prof Kirberger. SAVA Groups and Branches must please remember to leave a slot for the SAVF presentation at their congresses. The support of the profession is crucial for themeaningful functioningof theFoundation. The SAVAAwards Committee is due tomeet on the 4th of June.Thank you toProf Bath for his expert leadershipof this important committee aswell as Dr CliveMarwickwho has agreed to serve on the committee following the departureof Dr AlainCarter owing towork commitments.We areof course extremely grateful to Alain for his long and committed service in this vital role. The next vital area of succession planning is at VetNews. Editor Dr Paul van Dam is stepping down after a considerable and distinguished term at the helmof ourmagazine. COVID-19 has necessitated to us shifting to full time digital publicationbutwe still believe theVetNews has an important role to play as a communicationvehicle at SAVA. Hopefully there is a colleagueout there with good IT skills who wants to take on a new challenge and serve the association in this role. Thank you Paul, for your dedication and service over theyears. Don`t forget to register and download our SAVA D6 communicator App which we launched in April. Vets are notorious for neither reading nor responding to emails, yet we check our phones regularly. The D6 App provides youwithanexcellent interactiveopportunity to receive important generalaswellasspecifictailoredinformationfromSAVA,aswellasoptimise yourmember benefits. Allmembers shouldhave receivedSMS`s to register, as well as an email detailing download instructions. Please sign up and see whatmoreSAVAcando for you. We are all busy with our work, family and other commitments, so it is extremelyencouragingtoseesomanycolleaguesavailthemselvestoserve SAVAon its variousboards, groups, branches, committees andsubsidiaries. Our organisation and profession cannot function optimally without this commitment and dedication. It is interesting to note that many philosophers, as well our Lord Jesus Christ, have remarked that true joy is derived fromthe act of service toothers. Maywe abound in joy aswe serve our association, professionandnationwith itspeopleandanimals. v Yours in service, Leon From the President Dear Colleagues! Leon de Bruyn As we head into winter the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be building up in certain parts of our country as well as other parts of the world. The situation in India is especially concerning, with the rampant infection rate in their massive population providing considerable opportunity for the corona virus to mutate into yet more strains. On the home front the pace of vaccination is disturbingly slow.