Vetnuus | August 2024 31 Prof Neels Roos, Ingrid’s husband of 65 years, was a classmate and also stayed in Old Res, from 1955 to 1958. After a short stint in private practice, he was appointed a lecturer in surgery at the Onderstepoort Faculty, where he remained until his retirement in 1995. Neels became a keen amateur ornithologist and Ingrid a proficient dendrologist. Some of Ingrid’s memories of the Old Res lifestyle during the 1950s The path from Old Res to the Faculty was not paved yet. When it rained the turf soil became a black, sticky mass. Our mode of transport was either by bicycle or by foot. Some of us wore gumboots to class while others removed the mudguards from their bicycles and cycled at high speed. The white laboratory coats we had to wear to classes were spattered black! Only a few students possessed cars in the 1950’s. Whenever we wanted to attend a show in Pretoria, we had to cycle to the filling station which was situated just North of the subway leading to Pretoria North. There we could leave our bicycles and take the Pretoria North Bus to town. Homecoming was critical as the last bus out was not to be missed! Once a shower of rain caught us on our way into town. We were dressed up to attend a smart classical music concert and arrived at the venue with soggy clothes and wet hair. Quite a few students enjoyed classical music. They met on a regular basis to listen to a programme on records that had been selected by one of them. Each class had to organise one dance during the year and decorate the dining room for the occasion. The girlfriends came to watch rugby in the afternoon and then stayed for the dance. Some came to shower and to change into their party dress in our portioned-off part of Old Res. Some students did not have a girlfriend and had to attend dances with blind dates. Very few could dance well. To help these students a few senior students attended a Ballroom Dancing Course at Arthur Murray Studio. I was asked to go along as well so that the learners could practice the steps with me. We then taught the steps to more students at the Old Res. Most now had more confidence to go to the next dance! One of the final year students, Max Bachman could play the accordion well and used to sit on the lawn in front of Old Res playing melodies that were well-known and many students joined in the singing. As I could also play the accordion I joined in the playing. One evening some students decided to serenade the Fant and Asterhof hostels at main campus. There was some surprise when a female serenader was seen amongst the men. Once Lente van der Merwe (she was in the class just ahead of me and resided with Prof Smit and family) thought of entering the Ladies’ relay race in the Hillcrest swimming bath. We were however only 3 ladies in Huis Onderstepoort at the time and one of them could not swim! Lente invited the girlfriend of one of her classmates to join us. We were very proud to obtain second place! During our 4th and final years of study, I happened to sit next to a classmate with whom it was easy to chat. In time, a fond but discreet relationship developed between us. After exams, when everybody was packing up to leave finally, he came to my room in Old Res to tell me that he had just been appointed state veterinarian in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). I suddenly became very sad and shed a few tears. He asked me what was wrong. I said I would then never see him again as I was to work in a practice in Natal. He suddenly said, "Then marry me". I did not know what to think. However, in that split second, I knew I could not refuse so I said, “Yes”. What a surprise we both got! We were married the following year and now look forward to celebrating our 65th wedding anniversary in October. Ingrid Wolleschak, July 2024 Rosemarie Barnard (née Müller) Rosemarie was born in Stettin Germany on 2 November 1936. She discontinued her studies at Onderstepoort and became a technical assistant. She married a classmate, Banie Barnard (BVSc 1958) on 21 March 1959. Banie worked as a veterinarian at the Farmers Co-op in Queenstown in 1959. He later went into private practice in Delmas and then took up an appointment at the Bacteriology Section of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute. The couple lived on a small holding in Pumulani, northern Tshwane district and raised six children. Anne Lize Mordant (née Pienaar) BVSc 1961 After graduation, Anne Lize worked as a locum in Johannesburg for a short while and then joined the Division of Veterinary Field Services as a state veterinarian in Pietermaritzburg. She was transferred to the Stellenbosch Veterinary Investigation Centre before she joined the Bacteriology Section at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute, where she established and managed the diagnostic laboratory. In 1967, Anne Lize married David Mordant, also a veterinarian and resigned from the Institute when the couple moved to Johannesburg. They had two daughters and for several years Anne Lize concentrated on providing a loving home for them. In 1989, Anne Lize, David and a partner established an agricultural commodities business. They retired in 1998 and now live in Canada. Some of Anne Lize’s memories of her stay at Old Res Professor Adelaar and the Dean decided to open the left wing of the old men’s hostel to six ladies. Professor Adelaar was housemaster at this time and his wife was in charge of the kitchen so that we were provided with excellent food. There was one door on the left that opened outside >>> 32 Ingrid’s biography, compiled by Prof. Gareth Bath and the late Dr Rudolph Bigalke, was published in the VetNews of September 2020. Dr IJ Wolleschak’s article on the history of veterinary nursing in South Africa was published in the Journal of the South African Veterinary Association (2012) Vol. 81, pp 71-74 available at: https://journals.jsava.aosis.co.za/index.php/jsava/article/view/107 Onderstepoort: the Ladies of Old Res <<<30
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