Clare AUTUMN / WINTER 2012 News EDITION 30 CATS & DOGS OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS WOMEN AT CLARE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT Three Clare vets at one of the Foreign exchanges for Fortieth anniversary of Clare Clare’s development towards largest vetinerary hospitals. Clare students. as a mixed College. its 700th birthday. PAGE 2 PAGE 6 PAGE 8 PAGE 16 ALUMNI NEWS Cats & Dogs Three Clare vets Dr Clive Elwood (1983) manages one of the largest veterinary hospitals for cats and dogs in the UK, if not Europe. Forty vets, fifty nurses and tens of support staff keep him on his toes. Two of his vets are also Clare alumni, Mark Goodfellow (1994) and Mark Lowrie (1998). “It’s not at all like ‘James Herriott’, is the first thing to say. This is a modern hospital concentrating on advanced surgery on cats and dogs, which makes it different to most other practices. Surgery of this kind, historically, was done at universities but there is now a large private sector market.” Clive joined the Davies practice in 1998 and became managing director two years ago. “I didn’t have any clear ambitions when I was at Clare other than to be a vet. Although I got a Mark Goodfellow, Clive Elwood, Mark Lowrie First in my first year, I went downhill from there academically and coasted until I caught the over Clare bridge, said that he should apply for Clare Pageant ‘bug’ by visiting the University of Pennsylvania Clare. His mother, he says, is not someone you in the summer of my fifth year”. The bug was can say ‘no’ to. Mark later made use of Clare doing advanced medicine, intensive bridge, joining the punt pole-seizing brigade. The Clare Boat Club banner, which is investigations and complex diseases. Favourite pet? His two terriers which he has to almost 50 years old, featured at the spend hours chasing when they are let loose. Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the Thames He grew up on a mixed farm in Kent. His in the summer. Rowing in the Mermaid in brother, Steve Elwood (1979) is also a cats and Pageant were Clare alumni John Knox dogs vet based in Lincolnshire, and is married Why do they do it? (1963) at bow and Roger Pitts-Tucker to Claire (née Green, 1979). “Because we enjoy the animals – it helps if (1964) at stroke. you like your patients. The toughest part is “Clare was a safe, supportive environment the “frustrating case” where you can’t get to John writes “we completed the full course where he could do a lot of growing up.”The the bottom of the problem. Putting animals of the Pageant (which quite a few did not, Clare Folk Club was a highlight for him as to sleep is always difficult.” and were towed out of the way by the Port well as captaining the College rugby XV of London Authority), and we finished cold, and getting half-Blues for athletics and rugby Mark G specialises in oncology rather than wet and tired after over 7 hours in the boat. league. Favourite pet? His two Lurchers. cardiology so it is usually a given that the A truly extraordinary and inspiring event”. animal is going to die, but he is able to give Mark Goodfellow…was taken on a tour of the best possible care through to the end. It Cambridge by his school and Clare was the always has an emotional effect on him. He College to which he was directed. There he can remember the first dog he ever treated met the Senior Tutor, Ken Riley. Mark thought by name, Daisy Barrett. he should rely on taking STEP papers for entrance rather than personality in interview! Mark L: the difficult question owners ask is “Clare was intimate but not claustrophobic “what would you do if it was your dog”; and I remember (fondly) being tutored by so a lot of his work is about helping them William Foster and Gordon Wright.” Favourite to a decision. pet? British short-haired cats. Like most professions, a common problem is Mark Lowrie…His parents took him to unrealistic expectations and clients not taking Cambridge and his mother, whilst walking an expert’s advice! 2 CLARE NEWS AUTUMN / WINTER 2012 ALUMNI NEWS Awards The Clare Network Cambridge alumni group has met at several events recently and are pictured here before dinner in Hall in May. The Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2012 OBE: Professor Judith Newman (1974 PhD), Professor of American Studies at the University of Nottingham, for services to Scholarship. MBE: Mike Kinghan (1967) for services to sustainability and biodiversity in Staffordshire and the West Midlands region. Back row: Richard Davies, Madhu Davies, Chris Swain, David Cope. Middle row: Brian Holley, Stephen Wright, Bruce Huett, Susan Wright, Paul Holden, Eva Holden, Charles Jones. Front row: Robert Diamond, Rosamunde Almond, Francisca Malarée (Development Director & Fellow), Yvonne Jerrold, Paul Fray, Miranda Fyfe, John Williams Other awards Alumni Books Professor Brian Colvin (1963) was awarded a Queen’s Medal from Queen Mary, University of London for an exceptional and sustained contribution over many years. Having specialised in haematology, he became Director of Barts and The London’s Haemophilia Centre. Brian was briefly President of The London Hospital Medical Club before becoming Assistant Warden and later Dean for Student Affairs. Professor John Snowdon (1958) reports Neil Murray (1991) has written a series that he is the co-author of a book published of books with Cambridge University Press by Cambridge University Press called Severe directed at students of English language and Domestic Squalor. He says “I doubt if many linguistics. Writing Essays is the latest one, alumni will want it on their bookshelves!” published in March. Dr Roger White (1957) has recently published Philip Hughes (1954) is a distinguished artist A Birdwatching Guide to Brandenburg and Berlin, and, in this new book, has recorded eleven his retirement hobby over the last 5 years. iconic walks across the length and breadth of Britain in the form of 140 artworks. CLARE NEWS AUTUMN / WINTER 2012 3 ALUMNI NEWS Keep the Flag Flying A review of Sir Alan Munro’s diplomatic memoir by Fran Malarée (Development Director & Fellow) Sir Alan Munro came up to Clare in Biggs’s escape from Jack Slipper of the Yard, eccentric characters encountered in the 1955 after National Service in the by quickly finding a reason he could not leadership of countries and within the Foreign Army and had originally intended easily be extradited, is fascinating to read. Office, home and away. to study modern languages; however he was advised by a wise Senior Tutor, There is also a vivid account of political turmoil in Tripoli, just before the coup that brought Dr. MacDonald, that he might be Muammar Qaddafi to power. On the recent better off not spending more time on ‘Arab spring’, Sir Alan thinks it is an opportunity languages as he would be doing plenty to foster and support democracy, but it will be of that in the corps diplomatique. a difficult path as the collapse of established regimes could lead on to widespread instability He switched to history, where he was taught across the Middle East and beyond. It was his by Sir Geoffrey Elton. He has never regretted experience that in the 1960s and 70s, the the decision, for it gave him the capacity to efforts of the British government to reduce its analyse evidence quickly, as well as the presence in the region were impeded by the awareness of political and economic history crises of decolonization and the reality of being and precedence that shape geopolitics, and a theatre for Cold War rivalry, whereas now the the benefit of Elton’s insight too. UK struggles to retain that influence and seeks to restore its links. Studying history at Clare, he recollects, ‘also taught me how to write properly!’ On being Sir Alan was also responsible for recruitment in accepted into the Diplomatic Service (Geoffrey the FCO which he found took him round many Elton also gave him some generous tuition for of the UK’s universities in the late 1960s. He the entrance exams) he brought with him a found this a great contrast with his own time fascination with the history of the Russo- as an undergraduate as the intervening ten Turkish wars, which had led him, initially, to years had seen a radicalism take hold in many, wish to study Russian. However, he ended up and a Foreign Office career was not held in being assigned to study Arabic, and became quite the same respect. While a number of engrossed in the language and Arabic culture, political figures feature, for better or for worse, an interest which has stayed with him all his in the memoir, he also finds that the UK’s life and career. His memoir touches often upon political parties during and after his career the point that in the Arab world the ‘embers of were obliged to follow broadly the same empire’ meant that the UK still retained some foreign policy; in terms of international influence, whereas the Russian speakers were strategy, the theme was continuity whatever caught up in pure Cold War politics. His career the government’s colour, whether it involved covered some turbulent times – British the intractable Arab-Israel question or Britain’s influence was not always welcome – and led tormented relationship with revolutionary Iran. Sir Alan and his family through some lucky escapes from rather perilous situations. He also He sees the UK now as facing numerous recalls going on honeymoon to Egypt and he political and economic challenges, but that to and his wife being the first British visitors since withdraw too much from its historic role would His career covered some the Suez Crisis to use the Egyptian Railways, be ‘an abnegation of duty’.