EQUINE | SAEVA 2020 Speech
“Every drought ends in rain” - lf I got an inch of rain for every time I used Bennie’s mantra over the last Summer...
actually come to think of it, that probably explains the floods we had last week!!
ln addition to being resilient, I think we all need to be open and ready for change - because it can come in many
guises and at times when you don’t expect it (and you just have to go with it). I think as vets we are used to
controlling our destiny, setting our mind to achieving a goal and then going and doing it. But change has a way of
circumventing our best laid plans and can surprise you.
In 2007 as EVA president I met this large South African vet who had recently been appointed the President of SAEVA
and he told me I must come to the SAEVA congress. I asked where the conference was being held, he said the Kruger
Park, I said “Yes that sounds great! I will be there” and he said, “No, no you must come” and I said “Yes I certainly
will” and he said “l will not take no for an answer”. As a result of Terry’s insistence I came to Berg en Dahl (and to
five subsequent SAEVA congresses). I met some fantastic people and have made some friendships that have truly
changed my life for the better.
I had no idea what to expect on my first visit to South Africa. My only insight into life in South Africa as a young fella
growing up on a small cattle farm in NSW was that South Africa was a beautiful and resource-rich country (thanks
to Wilbur Smith novels) and that we didn’t send cricket teams there... (probably didn’t have the right sandpaper back
then!)
I guess it was just as well as none of my expectations were anything like reality. Not only did we see four of the Big
Five on the drive to the camp, but I loved the fact that I was welcomed to the congress as if I were a long lost friend
by people I had just met. Alan (who I had met at a conference previously) picked me up from the airport
and drove us up to the Kruger. Terry made sure I was being looked after and I met Dave Mullins. Dave was a
larger than life figure who really needs no introduction to you guys, so welcoming and funny - my sides hurt
from laughing, until we went into a workshop on horse sickness and then he was deadly serious and all-business.
I learned a lot from Dave about enjoying what you do each day and the importance of your friends and your
professional network. I am sure you have all heard the story of how after the Bain Fallon in Australia he and Jon
Pycock were diving on the Great Barrier Reef and at the end of the day you helped yourself to drinks and recorded
what you had on an honour system. At the end of the trip they tallied up your drinks bill and Dave’s was more than
everyone else put together - primarily because Jonathon had been writing “D Mullins” each time it was his shout!
One of the things that stays with me when I think about Dave was his commitment to making the most of each day
- I remember seeing him at the BEVA congress not too long before he died. Talk about modelling resilience!! He was
unwell, his doctors had recommended that he not travel, but he was determined to catch up with his mates and get
to the meeting in Birmingham. He was exhausted by the end of the meeting and at the cocktail function before the
gala dinner I was at the bar (strangely enough) and he was sitting quietly on a couch while everyone around him
was standing and talking. I went over with two bottles of beer in my hand and nudged his shoulder: “do you want
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