The BVZS originally started with an inaugural meeting at the Zoological Society of London at 10.00am on July 14th 1961. This first meeting was called by Oliver Graham Jones the then Veterinary Officer of London Zoo. He had previously announced his intention in the Veterinary Record of calling a meeting of all Veterinary Surgeons interested in the “Veterinary attention of Captive Wild Animals and Exotic pets”. Some 36 Veterinary Surgeons attended this first meeting (listed below). Dr Ian Keymer acted as recording secretary for the meeting. It was agreed that the main function of the Society was to encourage Veterinary Surgeons in the development of knowledge and experience of handling and treating Wild animals and to foster research into diseases of non-domesticated animals in captivity and the wild state. The Society should collect, correlate and disseminate information on the subject. At least one meeting a year should be held, preferably at a Zoological Gardens. The meeting agreed to draft out aims of the Society, establish a Constitution which when accepted by the members the Society would then apply to become a Non-Territorial Division of the British Veterinary Association(BVA). After initial discussion the following Officers were elected.
President: Oliver Graham Jones Honorary Secretary and Treasurer: Martin Senior Committee(Council) members: Calvert Appleby, Ian Keymer and John Dall The power to co-opt committee members was approved.
Membership fees were set at £2-2-0(£2.10) payable on January 1st of each year. Those at the meeting paid £1 to cover the period till December 31st 1961.
Lunch ensued after which some veterinary topics were discussed.
This first meeting finished at 4.30pm after all present thanked Oliver Graham Jones for all his work in organising and presiding over the meeting and for arranging luncheon and tea!
List of members attending the inaugural meeting:
Oliver Graham Jones, Ian Keymer, Michael Woodford, William Geddes, Martin Senior, Harry S. Gates, Miss Christine Scott, Norman Gould, A.W. Messervy, Sidney Jennings, G.S. Muir, Miss M.W. Brancker, W.J. Jordan, John Volrath, David Blackmore, P. Ayrton Grime, R.S. Mason, Brian Wicks, Henry Carter, David Redfern, Ernest Hartley, John Rohrbach, Keith Barnett, Calvert Appleby, E.G. Sutton, W. Maclennan, Mrs Joyce Wright, Boyd Langman, Cecil Schwartz, Miss Pauline Wenner, T.A.R. Chipperfield, C.D. Scott, Miss Rosemary Welch, G.E. Joss, J.S.M. Cosgrave and John Dall.
Apologies were received from R.N.T.W. Fiennes, C.R.E. Halnan and D.B. Edwards. In total the membership stood at 39. Mrs. Colline Mathieson attended the afternoon session but did not join the Society.
1961 – 1963 Mr. O. Graham-Jones
1963 – 1965 Dr. E.C. Appleby
1965 – 1967 Mr. J.A. Dall
1967 – 1969 Dr. I.F. Keymer
1969 – 1972 Miss W.M. Brancker
1972 – 1974 Professor J.O.L. King
1974 – 1976 Mr. D.W. Jolly
1976 – 1978 Mr. G.E. Joss
1978 – 1980 Mr. V.J.A. Manton
1980 – 1982 Mr. D.M. Jones
1982 – 1984 Mr. G. Benbow
1984 – 1986 Professor J.E. Cooper
1986 – 1988 Mr. P. Humphreys
1988 – 1990 Mr. M. J. Fielding
1990 – 1992 Mr. D.W. Marriott
1992 – 1994 Mr. P.W. Scott
1994 – 1996 Professor J.K. Kirkwood
1996 – 1998 Mr. D.G. Lyon
1998 – 2000 Mr. M. Lawton
2000 – 2002 Professor A. Meredith
2002 – 2004 Mrs. L. Rayment-Dyble
2004 – 2006 Miss S. Thornton
2006 – 2008 Mr. E. Flach
2008 – 2010 Mr. S. J. Girling
2010 – 2012 Mrs. V. Roberts
2012 – 2014 Mr. Matthew Brash
2014 – 2016 Mr. Michael Stanford
2016 – 2018 Mr. Mark Stidworthy
2018 – 2019 Mrs. Fieke Molenaar
2019 – 2020 Mr. Peter Kettlewell
2020 – 2021 Dr. Elizabeth Mullineaux
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Photo Credit to: Debra Bourne, Elliott Simpson, Benjamin Kennedy, Tom Bailey, Sarah Pellet, Bill Coe, Jess Bell, Alan Humphreies, Liz Mullineaux, Peter Scott
All photos have been contributed by members and friends of the society.