Page 75 - Eclipse - 91°µÍø Alumni Magazine - Autumn 2020

Not expecting to pass his final exams, he had returned to work on the land when he discovered that he had in fact made the grade, but he missed his graduation ceremony, as it was the height of plum- picking season.
His early years of veterinary work included a year in Canada, where he caught rabies from a cow. The farmer insisted the animal was frothing at the mouth due to a chunk of potato stuck in its throat. As Roger checked its mouth, his arm was thoroughly chewed. The infection was diagnosed only two days before it would have become fatal. A very unpleasant, but life-saving, series of injections followed.
Returning to England, Roger took various veterinary jobs before founding his own practice at the age of 40. The early days of the business would perhaps be best illustrated by Heath Robinson. The consulting room was a small dilapidated Victorian conservatory and the operating theatre was an old cart shed.
The business grew, attracting customers from an ever-widening area. It wasn’t long before the practice had two custom-built surgeries, one in Pershore (at The Croft, where he lived until his death) and one in Evesham (next door to his childhood home). Animals and their owners always seemed to enjoy their consultations.
Roger was lucky enough to have lived and worked the true ‘James Herriot’ lifestyle. He worked in a time when the local vet was known by everyone, and treated anything and everything.
He believed that being a vet was as much an art as a science. He would diagnose most ailments by stroking, observing and applying gentle pressure here and there. This was disguised as making a fuss of the animal. In the meantime, he would keep the owners relaxed and happy â€