Page 64 - eclipse - Autumn 2018

In Memorium
The RVC is very proud of its community and we pay tribute to
all those no longer with us who have devoted their lives to the College and the veterinary profession.
HOWARD REES (1951)
William Howard Guest Rees, known as Howard, died earlier this year at the age of 89. He was the Chief Veterinary Officer during the 1980s and dealt with issues such as salmonella in eggs and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). He led the team that brought in the ‘ruminant feed ban’, removing BSE-contaminated material from the animal feed chain based on some ground breaking and quite brilliant epidemiological work. Gareth Davies, writing in the Guardian, described
him as the most able veterinary
public servant of his generation. Even after retirement in 1988, he became president of the World Organisation for Animal Health’s Animal Health Code Commission in Paris. He remained in this role for 9 years.
Howard grew up in Wales and after attending grammar school in Llanelli joined the RVC. During his time at the RVC he was an active member of the rugby team and upon graduation in 1951 worked for MAFF and then saw practice in Kent. He later joined the state veterinary service where he
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remained during the 1967 and 1968 foot and mouth outbreak.
Howard was well respected by the veterinary profession, highlighted by his award in 1988 of the Companion of the Order of the Bath for services to the veterinary profession and agriculture. He then was appointed to vice-president of the British Veterinary Association (1994- 96) and later awarded an honorary fellowship of the RCVS in 2000.
DICK LANE (1953)
Written by Charles and Athene Lane
Dick was born 22nd December 1930
in Neath, South Wales. He attended the RVC in 1949 as one of 64 students mainly comprised of ex-servicemen. He was awarded the Clinical and Centenary Medals (fourth year) and the final year Clinical, Centenary & Coleman prize.
He was an active member of the RVC alumni throughout his life.
After graduating, Dick did two
years national service joining
the Royal Army Veterinary Core spending 18 months in Egypt and
Libya. He remained an active
supporter of the RAVC regularly attending the Cenotaph on
Armistice Day.
In 1956 Dick had his first professional job as an assistant in Thame, Oxfordshire and married Joan Powell in 1958 (a Cardiff university history graduate) whom he had met whilst seeing practice during college. He moved to Leamington Spa in 1959 and was joined by Mike Murray, forming the partnership of Lane
and Murray in the early 1970s originally based in Guy Street, Leamington
Spa, but expanded with branches in Kenilworth and Coventry. The practice also provided veterinary care to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, both to its training and breeding centres. This started Dick’s interest in animal charities which he was to carry throughout his life.
Although Dick involved himself in supporting animal charities he was mainly known for his pivotal role in establishing a new charity called Dogs for the Disabled (now Dogs for Good) with Francis Hey. He remained heavily involved in this charity throughout his life (including supporting their stand
at Crufts 2018). He had a lifelong interest in animal welfare and in 2016, The International Society of Applied Ethology presented him with a medal to celebrate his 50 years of service.