Simon Marshall, practice manager for Vet Services Dannevirke, with the shepherd's crook - the Alan Baldry award, given at the New Zealand Veterinary Association conference.
Simon Marshall, practice manager for Vet Services Dannevirke, with the shepherd's crook - the Alan Baldry award, given at the New Zealand Veterinary Association conference.
When Simon Marshall was listening to a citation being read out at a conference dinner, something started to click.
The Dannevirke vet was attending dinner at the New Zealand Veterinary Association conference, where they announced this year’s recipient of the Alan Baldry Award.
“They start reading out the citation withoutsaying who has it and it takes a while for people to click once they start describing the person’s life.
“Quite early on in the citation, I realised it was me.”
Alan Baldry was a British veterinarian who came to New Zealand for a conference but died in a car accident while here.
His family set up a memorial award in his name and it was presented to the Sheep and Beef Cattle Society of the NZ Vets Association from the British Sheep Veterinary Society in 1989.
Simon Marshall, practice manager for Vet Services Dannevirke, with the shepherd's crook - the Alan Baldry award, given at the New Zealand Veterinary Association conference.
The trophy, in the form of a shepherd’s crook, is awarded annually to a member of the society “who has made a significant contribution to the sheep and beef industry”.
Marshall, who is practice manager at Vet Services Dannevirke, says he was blown away by the award.
“You sort of think it can’t be right, but then you realise what it is and it just becomes a bit surreal.
“It’s quite humbling to hear someone describing your career to you.”
The nomination came from a good friend who Marshall says had done a lot of research, talking to his parents, colleagues and his wife, as well as some clients.
He says when he looks at the names of previous recipients of the award listed on the crook, there are “people I’ve looked up to in my entire career”, adding that they have all provided him with help and advice.
It’s something he feels he can now pass on to others.
Marshall grew up on a sheep and beef farm in Waipukurau and had a neighbour who was a well-known vet, whom he’d always looked up to.
Having an interest in science, Marshall says he put “two and two together” and looked at the opportunities he would have with a vet degree.
He talked to his careers adviser, who told him it was a difficult profession to get into.
“That motivated me to do it.”
He went off to university and studied hard for six months, earning entry into the vet school.
“It was a great degree. Lots of fun, but hard work. I just really enjoyed the subject matter, the people and the lecturers were great.”
He says there are plenty of opportunities for someone interested in doing a vet degree as they are not limited to becoming a clinical vet.
They can work for the Ministry of Primary Industries for instance, work in research, be a general practitioner or become a specialist.
“There are lots of people who start out thinking they’ll be a clinician and end up doing lots of different things. And they’re all important to the ag sector and animal welfare.
“Everyone plays a role.”
Leanne Warr has been editor of the Bush Telegraph since May 2023 and a journalist since 1996. She re-joined NZME in June 2021.
