Vetnews | Oktober 2024 48 « BACK TO CONTENTS Well, this month there is plenty to write about. Firstly our class celebrated our 50th anniversary with a get-together at Onderstepoort. Unfortunately, only 12 of a possible 36 people managed to attend and interestingly they were all large animal practitioners and virtually all were still working. Seven of our class had passed on to greener pastures and we remember them. And then a day later Dr Pieter Grimbeek, a classmate and the person who had organized the reunion was awarded a gold medal by the South African Pork Producers for his inputs into the pork industry in South Africa – congratulations Pieter, we are so proud of you. Also, Dr Martin Goldberg had travelled from near Atlanta Georgia where he has been in practice for 36 years and seen over and seen over 200 vets qualify under his guidance. We were addressed by Prof Vinny the dean. Of concern to him and thus indirectly to all of us is the limited funds available for education. The budget just does not meet the needs of the faculty. A further aspect that caused me great concern was that students indicated that for example the surgical curriculum had been reduced and excluded many operations which are now deemed the realm of specialist surgeons. This is worrying. What happens when one opens a practice in Kakamas and a dog needs surgery and the nearest Specialist is 300 kilos away? Then another problem with Allerton Laboratories. Blood samples were submitted for Brucellosis testing for bulls to go to a sale. Last year they failed to do the tests on time and I had to withdraw my bulls at great expense to myself. Well, this year the samples were submitted early and when I phoned for results was told that the tests had not been done because they had run out of reagents. Apparently, Allerton orders its requirements through Cedara and the latter had failed to supply 9 months after ordering. Really? Once again my bulls would have to be withdrawn. Well that was not going to happen and my feisty wife went in and sat there until she got the results. Somehow the reagents were found. In due course, an apology was obtained from the vet in charge stating various complications but no recommendations were made to rectify the problem such as sending the samples to Onderstepoort. Surely when we delivered the samples we could have been told of the problems and sent the samples off to Onderstepoort, or better still they could have sent them off. Next problem. Our Minister of Agriculture, The Honorable Mr Steenhuisen announced that R500 million had been allocated to Onderstepoort for vaccine production and not a cent could be accounted for! And then as mentioned the entire livestock industry had been severely affected by avian flu, swine sickness, and foot and mouth. Surely this is tantamount to treason? Surely these funds are traceable and the people concerned should be charged with theft and treason. And if possible the old law of shot at dawn should be applied. v Life plus 25 without parole Mike Lowry Mike Lowry has been in veterinary practice for "life plus 25" years. In this column, he shares his experiences and opinions. Regulars I Life plus 25 +25 Back Row: Johan Kriek, Ian Glass, Dan Goosen, Joop Boomker Middle row: Mike Lowry, Martin Goldberg, Pieter Grimbeek, Chris Jansen van Vuuren Front standing: Martin Goldberg, Gerhard Harmse Seated: Louis van Jaarsveld
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