Equine Health Update EHU Vol 21 Issue 02 | Page 14

The final evening of the congress is always a highlight with the Gala dinner. This year did not disappoint with delegates partying well into the morning. The guest speaker on the night was ultra-endurance athlete and multiple Duzi Canoe Marathon winner Martin Dreyer. Martin gave a truly inspirational talk on his life and the achievements of the athletes from his foundation in the Valley of the Thousand Hills, who remarkably filled half of the top 30 places at this year’s Duzi. Equally inspirational on the evening was the recognition of Dr Johan Marais for his contribution to the equine veterinary profession, SAEVA and more recently Rhino conservation, with his focus on the Saving the Survivors programme. Johan was presented with the Spirit of SAEVA award on the evening. Johan Marias, Spirit of SAEVA Award recipient Martin Dreyer, Gala Dinner Speaker Manfred Rohwer receiving the Golf Trophy The annual congress for our small group just couldn’t happen without the support of our sponsors. Angela Rogers, our chairwoman-elect has to be thanked for putting the programme together and, as always Madaleen Schultheiss and her Vetlink team were instrumental in the success of the SAEVA annual congress. 14 • Equine Health Update •