28/11/2023
Dear Friends, Clients and Pets
It may, or may not, come as a surprise but as I approach my 60th birthday I have decided to retire.
My reasons for this decision are the following:
My father was a medical doctor, and at one stage of his career he had the largest registered practice in the world. The Guinness Book of Records did not register it, as they rightly felt this was not a good thing to promote. I mention this to illustrate that my Dad was an incredibly hard worker. He devoted his life to his patients, and always said “when I retire I will travel and we will do things together”, Sadly, at age 54 he died as a result of cancer, having never done the things he planned to do.
My story is even more interesting. I wasn't clever enough to get into vet school; especially as I never studied the pure sciences of chemistry, physics, and biology as a GSCE or A-level student. I got into vet school through persistence and hard work. A few months after I got admitted to vet school, aged 29, I was found to have exactly the same tumour as my Dad. I never expected to live a long life, but I continued with my dream of being a vet and once again hard work and persistence paid off. I achieved my life-long dream of being a vet aged 35.
I have thoroughly enjoyed being a vet. I've loved balancing the science and humanities components of doing this job, and it has been highly stimulating and highly rewarding for me. I've never been in it for the money. Prior to my admission to vet school I had been a financial analyst at a merchant bank, and I was on course for a very good salary and bonus package. So going from that to a job where I earned less than half my previous income was quite a decision. I have never regretted it. My eight-year-old self, who first wanted to be a vet, would be very pleased with this journey. Each part of the journey, being a lesson, making me the person I am today. Here is a short list of the jobs and experience I have gained along the way - security guard at Covent Garden and Royal Ordnance, expedition leader for Encounter Overland, bus driver for London Transport and Big Bus Company, financial advisor for Allied Dunbar, financial analyst for CS First Boston, and finally veterinary surgeon.
In the past few years my lifelong hobby of photography has become more serious, and I want to dedicate more of my time to it. I have a number of projects in the pipeline which will combine my love of the outdoors, adventure, travel and photography. I now need to dedicate time to these, and as such, I need to retire while I am still young enough and fit enough to enjoy these new experiences.
As I said earlier, It's been a wonderful journey. If you wish to stay in touch and see where I land up, I will be on Instagram and Facebook as Sabenza Adventures. I have not had time to set these up yet, but they will be ready in early January 2024.
Finally, I would like to thank you for trusting me with your pets, and more importantly for being wonderful clients. I've loved every one of our consultations, and it is this joint communication which has made my job so rewarding.
The team at Afrivet - Medivet Parkstone will remain the same and we have a new highly experienced vet starting in January. So, things should carry on as they are.
All the very best,
Graham