Page 11 - Autumn 20

Letter from Chris Day – outgoing BAHVS President
read at AGM, in his (regretted) absence
Fellow members of our brave and active
association, I wish to apologise for my
enforced absence here today (online AGM
3 October). I am enjoying my 40th
Wedding Anniversary break on a canal and away from the internet. This is our annual holiday time and unfortunately the dates clashed.
I want to thank you for the trust you placed in me in making me your president. I can look back upon three years of ‘enjoying’ this honour with mixed emotions. I feel immensely honoured and grateful for the opportunity to have served in this office. I am extremely proud of our Committee and what they have achieved, both as individuals and as serving members and officers of the Committee. I have been much blessed with active, thorough and motivated people, whom I can also count as friends. Our regular meetings have been a joy. I regret that the strange lockdown rules have curtailed our activities, not least the President’s pelagic local meetings and the AGM and annual conference. I regret that I have spent several months of the last twelve in serious ill health and incapacitation, followed by a battle to restore both my eyesight and my hearing (long story there, with which I shall not bother you unless we can be more at ease and together over a pint). I vowed to make 2020 the year for 20:20 vision and was almost prevented from doing so by the COVID restrictions. However, I made it and now must suffer the mild inconvenience of needing reading glasses to see close-up – a small price to pay in exchange for incredible distant vision. I regret leaving this office, as it has been a real roller-coaster; at times a real adrenaline rush, at others lots of work, but never a dull moment. I
only wish I could have been part of achieving more than we have. On the other hand, I shall enjoy the time that will be freed up. Time has been a hard task master, especially since lockdown, when my staff were furloughed and I had to run the whole practice show myself.
Looking back on the three years, we have held
regular committee meetings, with ready volunteers to take on the necessary work. We have a very attractive and constantly evolving modern website (thanks Malene and Phil). We have put in place extra plans to encourage contributions to the magazine and website (thanks Ann [Wood]). We have taken the bold step of having a transatlantic Treasurer, which has not proved a problem so far (thanks Sara [Fox-Chapman]). We are going to hit the RCVS with some science, to help them understand the error of the Position Statement (thanks Pete [Gregory]). We have a great meeting today and our first virtual Conference and AGM (thanks Barbara [Jones] and [Ilse Pedler]). We have a new secretary who has willingly, cheerfully and ably shouldered the load that Stu used to handle for us (thanks Nazrene [Moosa]). We have new Google Groups to overcome the difficulties in updating members of the previous ones (thanks Ilse). We have maintained a line of communication with the Faculty (thanks Pete and Barbara) and with the IAVH (thanks Pete). We had the lovely little poetry anthology (thanks Ilse). We have kept up communications with our supporters, albeit lately at reduced intensity. There are so many other things that have been done or are under way, thanks to all those who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes. Jane [Keogh] and Geoff [Johnson] in particular have done so much.
It is my pleasure to welcome our new Junior Vice- President, Brendan [Clarke]. He has done so much for homeopathy and for the Association but in a quiet way. He
will be great insurance for the three years of his term as President, starting in three years’ time. I would like, penultimately, to welcome our new President, Ilse Pedler. I could double the length of this address trying to list all the things that she has been doing. Time and time again, she has broken that unwritten rule – NEVER VOLUNTEER FOR ANYTHING! She has done so much that I should by rights have done myself but she has done them better. You’re in for a good three years under her watchful eye and careful guidance.
Lastly, it is with a heavy heart that I recall the passing of our wonderful Stu [Marston]. He was a stalwart for the Association and his untimely parting left us all at sea for a while, in addition to being a great personal shock. I would like, if you can bear with me, to propose a minute’s silence in his memory.
Thank you for that and thank you again for my incredible experience as President. Carry on the good work that you do and continue as you have, to set a fine example of professionalism to our veterinary colleagues at large.
Chris
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