Students with their Mentors
Back Row: Dr Ashley Parker, Prof Roy Gottshalk, Nicola Griffin, Dr Terry Casey, Zarah Vermeulen, Dr Beverley Parker, Dr Angela Dallas, Dr Mike Ross, Dr Manfred Rohwer,
Heinrich Viljoen
Front Row: Su-Mari Hoogenboezem, Shannon Parker, Marzelle Fourie, Dr Tahiyya Shaik, Lucinda Helberg, Elza Kolver, Michelle Janse van Rensburg, Mareli Smalberger, Jozaan
Holliday, Anja Uys, Theunis Griessel, Elicia Venter, Anika de Witt
The social program at the congress has always been important to SAEVA and most of the overseas
delegates and speakers commented on the camaraderie of our small group as being a unique experience
to anything they have seen on their travels. With the increasing amount of online CPD available at a
fraction of the cost of attending a congress, it is crucial that SAEVA continue to make this a focus area
of the annual congress. The golf afternoon has long been a traditional event, dating back to 1988. This
year our impressive trophy was lifted by our outgoing chairman, Manfred Rohwer and on collecting the
trophy at the gala dinner he announced that it would be renamed the Dave Mullins Floating Trophy,
after our late dear friend and past chairman who was a winner on eight occasions.
Another remarkable social event this year was the Zoetis-sponsored dinner for the SAEVA mentorship
programme. Our current chairman, Terry Casey revitalised this initiative this year and under the guidance
of Manfred Rohwer the students at the congress were paired with an elite group of SAEVA mentors in
the hope that this will help them further their equine veterinary interests. Congress time as well as
the social and educational aspect is a critical time for SAEVA to attend to some administration duties.
The executive committee meet for a long afternoon of meetings prior to the congress and the AGM is
held on the first evening. This year some significant changes to the constitution were ratified at the
AGM. SAEVA are greatly indebted to Gert Steyn of SAVA for his input and advice in putting together the
structure of our new constitution.
Important early-morning meetings/discussion groups also took place with the South African Equestrian
Federation CEO Wessel Strauss, the National Horse Racing Authority head vet Roehann Sutherland
and the South African Veterinary Council representative Dr Clive Marwick. The meetings were all well
attended despite the early starts and we are grateful to the various groups for meeting with SAEVA
members and for the opportunity for our members to ask questions and voice their concerns.
• Volume 21 Issue 2 | May 2019 •
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