Seeing the landing of the OZ's breeders and slaughter goats /sheep imported by Hj Jeli and others brought a touch of nostalgia...
The early days of the ruminant industry were so much tied in with the history of the Vet Division of the DOA.The early veterinary pioneers...Vivian Utal ( first Vet Assistant from Mukah)..Mr Ong Chong Boon and Mr Dunsmore of ARC whose writings on pasture trials were avidly read by us vet students of the 70s; Dr Ong Shak Foo ( first Sarawakian Vet) 's articles on Chromobacterium; Benedict Wong, Baines Kunchit, Patrick Rossem, Chai Min Shang, and many more retired VAs, AVOS...
We are proud of you all .....and we salute your contributions to the industry.
Then we had the struggling importers with vision, ambition, and their share of frustrations and disppointments...Encik Bujang Sulaiman of MALDA trading who spent mucho money and mana on live cattle imports, retired army officer Affendi Dhobey...
They went through a lot of trials and tribulations....I remember them all. They, too, have their footsteps in the sands of vet history...
Then came Sarabif with its hopes and shot in the arm for the cattle industry...Geoffrey Beere, Johari Seman, Augustine Sitim, the late Jeffrey ,the stockman, the truckers..... how many remember them now?......they too played their crucial role which must be acknowledged.
Very soon, Sekama Vet Clinic , where most of us cut our teeth, will be a distant memory.. sniff sniff!
Hopefully, someone will sit down and record the history of theVet Division and LS production in Sarawak.
As for the 2000s, I am sure FG Multifarm and Nature Farm will become future " giants " of our industry, if everyone will just give them a chance.. Bend the rules if need be to help these pioneers. If the US can throw billions into their banking and financial sectors and are happy just to see green shoots, what is a coupla of Million RM to see new kids and calves on the block, be it in Mukah or Marudi ?
To paraphrase what Obama said in Russia, you need to plant the seeds now so that the future will grow....
If by spewing out these names into the blogosphere or the World WideWeb means that somehow memories of their involvement are preserved, let this then be my tribute to them!
TW
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