ENTERPRISING VETERINARY CLUB’S REMARKABLE GROWTH IN GISBORNE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22662, 12 June 1948, Page 8

ENTERPRISING VETERINARY CLUB’S REMARKABLE GROWTH IN GISBORNE

ANIMAI, HEALTH

PROM a staiulins start on .April 28, 1914, Ilic Gisborne Veterinary Club has built-up an organisation covering Ihe territory from AVaii-oa to the Hast Cape, and has a service centre in Gisborne to care for in-patient and out-patient treatment, the first large centre of its kind to be established by a club in the Dominion.

The services have been extended with the growth of the club and following; the fourth annua! meeting at the showgrounds on Wednesday the second farm school will commence, introducing speakers highly qualified in their subjects. It was on April 28. 1914, that the P.B. Agricultural and Pastoral Association convened a meeting to discuss the ways and means of starting a veterinary club in the Gisborne district. Mr. l.awson Field was chairman and there were representatives from the P.B. Agricultural and Pastoral Association, tine Farmers’ Union, the Sheepowners’ Federation. Kia Ora Co-Opera-tive Dairying Company. Limited. OKitu Co-Operative Dairy Company, Limited, the P.B. Kenncll Club, Tairawhiti District Pig Council, and the Department of Agriculture. At that meeting a provisional committee was formed comprising Messrs. Field. C. 11. Cooper, ,J. C. Graham, P. F. Barker. Myles Doyle. J. H. Walker, R. F. Hutchinson and F. Tolerton. Progress Being Made

There was an attendance of 35, including six* of the provisional committee, at the next meeting on June 2, 1944, and the method of representation on the committee was discussed. On June 12. Mr. R. Crawford, now the senior veterinarian with a staff of three other resident veterinary surgeons, was appointed. Progress was definitely being made with the organisation when, on July 21, 1944, a general meeting was called to elect representatives from groups to the committee. Those representatives were Messrs. R. H. Biggar. J. Monckton, E. R. Black. J. W. Gardner, R. Shaw, P. F. Barker. J. S. Crarer and S. B. Monck. On September 12 Mr. Field was appointed chairman and Mr. F. A. Bould, vice-chairman.

In the spring of 1946 a start was made with the building of the service centre at the intersection of Lytton road and Gladstone road. It was incomplete when first occupied in April, 1947. but gave long-awaited facilities to the still lone-handed veterinarian, who was working up a practice in the five counties —Cook. Waikohu, Uawa, W,aiapu and Matakaoa. An attendant for the centre was appointed in Jan-

, uary, 1947, and part-time secretarial I work was still being carried out by Mr. A. R. Trafford, who continued in that role until the present full-time secretary, Miss I. P. Lunn, was engaged in October last. I With the team of veterinarians j strengthened during the past year to give a full coverage to the wide sheep and cattle-raising areas within its comjpass more work lias been undertaken. The other qualified men under Mr. Crawford are Mr. M. H. Blunt, East Coast, Mr. J. S. Young, Wairoa, and Mr. A. IL Turnbull, Gisborne. To provide adequate office accommodation lor the increased staff, additional kennels and a post-mortem room, a plan of the proposed extensions to tlte service centre, estimated to cost £650, was submitted to the 'June meeting of the central executive. It was decided that £SOO from club funds should be spent on the additions and that any further cost should be made up from donations. Extension Services Apart from the sponsoring of the farm school annually in Gisborne, other extension services relating to animal health have been conducted during the year. In all, 5082 rams were examined. That the standard of examination was satisfactory is borne out by the fact that 21 rams claimed by Mr. Crawford to be sterile were submitted to the Ruakura Animal Research Station. There, 17 of those rams were proved by laboratory test to bo sterile. Heifer vaccinations against contagious abortion have been built up during the year to a total of 8209. An active interest has been taken in all problems of fertility, T.B. testing and dog inoculations. With the comparatively recent inclusion of Wairoa in the area covered by the club the constitution underwent a change and the three sub-areas — Gisborne, East Coast and Wairoa—now have equal representation on the central executive. The officers arc:—President, Mr. Lawson Field; vice-president, Mr. Stuart McGuinncss; executive, Messrs. R. H. Biggar. J. W. Gardner, S. B. Monck, Gisborne. Messrs. E. Rouse, .1. Wood. East Coast. Messrs. G. W. Powdrell. R. J. Goldstone, A. H. Hickling. Wairoa.