Veterinary Science Class of 1979 Reunion

Posted on: 30 April 2024 by Tony Collins (BVSc 1979) committee member for the University of Liverpool Veterinary Alumni Association in 2024

Crabwall Manor, Chester, was the venue for the Class of 1979’s annual reunion.

Every year since qualifying, the cohort have met on an annual basis – starting with Ashbourne in 1980. The only years missed were during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21.

So far, we have limited our venues to delightful locations in England and Wales: Llangollen, Ross-on-Wye, Stratford-upon-Avon, Buxton, Grange-over-Sands, Malvern, and Ludlow being some of our destinations over the years.

We welcomed 43 attendees this year, with numbers bolstered by graduates from close year groups and partners in crime. Such numbers reflect the certainty of a good weekend!

A few of us arrived on the Friday evening to enjoy a meal and a few drinks over the usual stories of college life. On the Saturday morning a small group tried to demonstrate their prowess by setting off on a five-hour bike ride. Rumour has it that this included a pit-stop at a convenient hostelry which allowed several riders to recharge their e-bikes…

Most of our group started to arrive on the Saturday afternoon. However, Faulty Towers sprang to everyone’s mind when the check-in queue grew and grew. The hotel only had one card machine, which only operated intermittently!

Saturday evening brought everyone to the bar for pre-dinner drinks and catch-up time. Indeed, this may be the last year that we all remember what we pre-ordered for our meal!

Sunday morning, the vast majority assembled at Park Gate for 10.30am for what was meant to be a circular walk. All was going well until we discovered that the tide was in and prevented our route back! Despite this slight error in the route planning, we all managed to assemble at The Ship for light refreshments before heading to Leahurst.

Professor Paul Lunn, Dean of the School of Veterinary Sciences, had kindly agreed to meet us here for a tour of the facilities. Leahurst has grown and changed a lot in the last 40 years, and for some of us who were revisiting for the first time since 1979 it was easy to become disorientated! Very few of us could recall where the library was originally situated…

During our tour, Paul talked about his vision for the future of the School of Veterinary Sciences, making comparisons with the students of today to those of our generation. In particular, the use of increased computer technology and advanced equipment available.

Following our tour, we said our fond farewells and many of us planned to meet sooner than April 2025 – as well, we will be attending the School of Veterinary Sciences 120th Anniversary Celebration Ball at St George’s Hall in Liverpool on 26th October 2024.

Many thanks to Peter Stubbington (BVSc 1979) for once again organising a superb weekend, also to Paul Lunn for giving up his Sunday afternoon to show us around Leahurst.

If you would like to join Tony and the Class of 1979 at the School of Veterinary Sciences 120th Anniversary Celebration Ball in October, or organise your own reunion at the event, you can book your tickets or contact the Alumni Relations team to learn more.

You can also join ULVAA on Facebook or LinkedIn, to stay connected with the Veterinary Alumni community.