Page 77 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2023

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Page 77 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2023
P. 77

IN MEMORIAM

        while observing all around him, always   Roger Pinniger was an eminent   retired in 1986 after a happy and fulfilling
        very polite, and especially happy when   veterinary surgeon who was     life, having practised many aspects of
        one of the staffֱs pets was on hand for   instrumental in founding one of the   veterinary medicine.
        a fuss (a frequent occurrence). Despite   very first RCVS-recognised veterinary   His long and distinguished career
        his decline, he retained his wit and   hospitals. In the early 1960s he was   was recognised through honorary
        remained inquisitive.               involved when the animal nursing    life membership of the British Small
                                            auxiliary (ANA) training scheme
        He is survived by his son Rob, who runs   became an officially recognised   Animal Veterinary Association and the
        a gardening business in Vancouver,   professional qualification and     award of an RSPCA certificate for
        Canada, and Robֱs three grown-up    subsequently trained a number of    meritorious service.
        children; and his daughter Sally, a   ANAs. He also edited the second   Despite working long hours, Roger was
        veterinary ophthalmologist.
                                            edition of Jonesֱs Animal Nursing.  devoted to his family. He and Odette
        ֱTrevor was one of a kind. He and Jean were   Roger was born on 30 August 1926   had three children: Mark, Fawnia and
        an amazing couple and I had the pleasure   in Chiswick, London, the family later   Linda. Tragically, Mark died at the
        of working with them and the RVC Alumnus   moving to Bristol and then to Dorset,   age of 34, but Rogerֱs daughters
        Association on many occasions. Trevor and   where he spent most of his life. In a   married and had families of their own.
        Jean were always present at our alumni   short autobiography he wrote that he   Eventually, he had five grandchildren
        reunions at BSAVA and always had a tale to   hated being a boarder at the preparatory   and eight great-grandchildren.
        tell!  Trevor will be very much missed by the   school he attended in Bournemouth as   Sadly, while still relatively young,
        RVC and those in the profession.    he was homesick; however, in 1940 he   Odetteֱs health began to deteriorate and
        My thoughts are with his familyֱ.
                                            went to Kingֱs School, Bruton, which he   they moved to Hampshire to be nearer
        Vicki Laing, Head of Alumni Engagement   loved. He became a school prefect and   their family. For 10 years he cared for
        at the RVC                          captain of boxing and gained his school   Odette until she died. They had been
                                            certificate with merit.             happily married for 54 years.
        A tribute page is available at trevor-
        turner.muchloved.com featuring      As a schoolboy, he developed a deep   In his spare time, Roger loved listening to
        photos and stories from some of the   interest in animals, both wild and   and attending live performances of classical
        people whose lives he touched.      domesticated, keeping many unusual   music, especially Wagnerian opera.
                                            pets, including the time he rescued and   He enjoyed fly fishing, walking his dog
                                            reared a red squirrel after it fell from its   and tending his garden, particularly his
                                            drey. His love of animals led him to follow   large vegetable patch, and he delighted
                                            a veterinary career rather than following   in sharing its abundant produce with
        ROGER STYLES                        in his fatherֱs engineering footsteps.  family and friends.
        PINNIGER (1948)                     During the World War II, Roger attended   Roger found time to volunteer for the
                                            the ֱ, and was   RSPCA, the Samaritans, the Home
                                            evacuated to Berkshire and the Thames   Library Service and the Countryside
                                            Valley to continue his studies. He had   Education Trust at Beaulieu, putting the
                                            happy memories of his student years,   same heart and soul into it as he had to
                                            including having shared a room with   his veterinary practice. He thoroughly
                                            Peter Storie-Pugh, who later became   enjoyed his work with these organisations
                                            president of the BVA and the RCVS.
                                                                                and the social aspects of volunteering.
                                            Roger qualified with honours in 1948   Vicki Laing, Head of Alumni Engagement,
                                            and then worked for a year in a practice   said: ֱRoger supported the RVCֱs
                                            in Somerset.
                                                                                current students by donating to the
                                            He had met his future wife, Odette, as   RVC Alumni Fund, he kept in touch with
                                            a teenager in 1943 and they married   the Alumni team and the RVC.  He was
                                            in 1950. They then went to Tanganyika   the instigator of the ֱ48 Club and him
                                            (now Tanzania) where he worked as a vet   and his classmates met every year for
                                            in the colonial civil service. They returned   reunions until around 2001. The RVC are
                                            to England after a year, mainly because   extremely grateful for Rogerֱs support
                                            he disagreed with the establishment   and we send our sincerest condolences
                                            as to whether cocktail parties or animal   to his family and friends.ֱ
                                            welfare was more important.
        By the Pinniger family                                                  He died peacefully at his home in Dibden
                                            Roger next joined a practice in     Purlieu in Hampshire, with his daughters
        Obituary, published in Veterinary Record,   Wimborne, Dorset. Initially, he worked   at his bedside. He will be sadly missed.
        October 2023                        in Swanage where he subsequently    ֱHe retired after a happy and fulfilling
        An eminent small animal veterinary   founded his animal hospital and    life, having practised many aspects of
        surgeon, he was described as ֱone of   later expanded the practice into   veterinary medicineֱ
        natureֱs gentlemenֱ.                Bournemouth, where he was able to
                                            specialise in small animal medicine. He
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