Scone Veterinary Protégés III

Scone Veterinary Protégés III

Featured Image: The ‘old’ Scone Race Course at White Park which would have been familiar to undergraduate veterinarian Margaret Rose when her father’s horse ‘Sky Sailor’ won at the Cup Meeting in both 1966 and 1967.

Professor Margaret Rose AM

Professor Margaret Rose has been honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to animal welfare and the ethics of scientific research, and to veterinary science as an academic and clinician.” (Australia Day Honours 26th January 2018).

Professor Rose was instrumental in the development and implementation of the NSW Animal Research Act 1985.  She was the first Chair of the Animal Research Review Panel (ARRP) and held this position for 24 years. Over this time she led significant initiatives such as the establishment of Accreditation, Licensing and inspection systems for animal research, extensive educational material in Panel policies and guidelines, the conduct of Animal Ethics seminars and the development of a dedicated website – Animal Ethics Infolink. In this capacity as Panel Chair she also had a strong influence on the development and revisions of the nationally implemented Australian Code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes. Congratulations are extended to Margaret on this richly deserved honour.

Scone Connection

Margaret Rose from Singleton was the one of the very first female undergraduate students to ‘see practice’ in Scone in 1968. Her father farmer-and-grazier Ron Rose won the Scone Race Club Sires Produce Stakes in 1966 with ‘Sky Sailor’. Exactly twelve months later (1967) the same horse won the Scone Cup at White Park. This was a unique ‘first’. Margaret was there and these visits established the connection to Scone. Legend Harley Walden writes in ‘Mecca of Racing’: “Local horseman Martin (Herbie) Eveleigh wrote his name in the history books to become the first Scone jockey to ride a Cup winner aboard Sky Sailor in 1967”.

Margaret said she was inspired by Murray Bain to pursue a career in research. I think the career pathway she subsequently followed added further cachet to both the association and decision. Sometimes these seminal moments occur early in a professional vocation.

I worked with Margaret later in life when employed by the NSW TAFE Commission. She was a very strong, passionate and forthright advocate for ARRP! In many ways she ‘set the standard’ to which we all adhere. I encountered this later when on the University of Newcastle Animal Care & Ethics Committee.