Page 78 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2022
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of the first-opinion mixed practice that There were those who did not see Ted was a countryman and a stockman at
the RVC ran in Streatley, Berkshire. this as “proper” work for a veterinary heart, with a very sharp eye for detail and
The College had been evacuated here surgeon, which led to friction, and in a quick mind, both of which he thankfully
during the war and the final year of the 1969 the old RVC Streatley mixed retained until the end. He will be much
undergraduate course was still held practice split into two, with Ted buying missed by everyone, but especially by
here. When the RVC moved to the the large animal side and Joe retaining Dot, their three children, Tim, Penny and
new Hawkshead Campus in 1958, the small animal. Resistance was not Richard, and their grandchildren.
it sold the goodwill of the Streatley only from some within the profession but The funeral was held on 16 September
practice to two members of their staff, also from some farmers, who expressed and was attended by many old clients
Joe Holmes and Bill Faull, and they surprise that they were expected to from the farming community, as well as
employed Ted as their assistant. He pay for this advice. But in his direct numerous friends and neighbours from
later became a partner with Joe Holmes fashion, Ted pointed out that he had the village of Cholsey, where they had
when Bill Faull returned to academia in to earn a living and that the advice he lived for over 50 years.
Liverpool in 1963. gave would actually save them money,
if only they heeded it.
Each routine visit would be
followed by a short report, which
could sometimes be quite caustic,
but always expressed his honest
opinion. Ted also insisted that these
reports must be seen by everyone who
worked on the farm, not just the owner
or their manager. He was never a yes-
man and clients appreciated his blunt
approach. When the Pig Improvement
Company asked him to become their
regional veterinary adviser in the
mid-1970s, Ted effectively became
a full-time pig vet working out of his
farm animal practice, now re-named
Larkmead Veterinary Group, and he
became a national figure in the pig
industry. It was therefore to everyone’s
surprise when he announced his
retirement from the practice in 1991
One of the practice clients at that at the age of only 58. Of course,
time was Richard Roadnight, who had we shouldn’t have been surprised.
developed a system of keeping pigs It would have been a surprise not
outdoors as part of an arable rotation. to be surprised by Ted.
Although Ted had always intended to
be a cattle vet, he became an early Ted and Dot had married in 1957
advocate of the Roadnight system and and were devoted to each other.
very rapidly built a reputation among the With their three children now off their
increasing numbers of farmers who had hands, they set about enjoying their
adopted this method locally. retirement together to the maximum.
They both had enquiring minds, and
Always an innovator, Ted became
one of the early pioneers of “herd” soon developed multiple interests well
medicine, where the vet was no longer away from the veterinary world. These
just attending “fire-brigade” cases, but included choral music, travel, gardening,
was advising on preventative medicine, history and collecting blue china and
usually encompassing several other candle snuffers.
disciplines, such as nutrition, For someone who considered
husbandry, environment, bio-security rambling to be pointless, Ted became
and economics. Some vets at that time a convert and for many years he and
were dubious of this holistic approach Dot could be seen striding out together
which required regular farm visits to across the fields at the back of the
advise on what was then considered surgery. They even took up cross-
to be management matters rather country skiing in their 60s.
than veterinary.
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