Vale Dr Roger Clarke

Dr Roger Clarke, a true giant of our profession, passed away last week. Dr Clarke had an illustrious career that saw him specialise in small animal surgery, and he spent many years in active clinical practice, practice management and ownership, teaching and academia, as well as his priceless contribution to the profession through the membership and leadership of various associations and committees.

Roger was a great advocate and supporter of the ASAV, having served on the ASAVA committee from 1978 to 1988, including a term as President from 1980 to 1982. He was also instrumental in the foundation of the Australian Companion Animal Health Foundation (ACAHF) in 1988, where he continued to serve as a trustee of the foundation until 2018. Roger played a big part in helping to build and develop the Accredited Veterinary Hospital Scheme (AVHS) to what it is today, which still remains the only hospital accreditation program to recognise excellence in clinical standards of care in Australia. The primary clinic that Roger ran and grew was the Bundoora Veterinary Clinic and Hospital in Melbourne, which also became an accredited hospital of excellence under his leadership.

Roger was also Past President of the AVA from 1997 to 1998 and a valued member of the AVA since 1964, becoming a Fellow in 1995 and was awarded the Kesteven Medal in 2023. He was well known throughout the global veterinary community through his outstanding contributions to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) and the Federation of Asian Small Animal Veterinary Associations (FASAVA).

We thank Roger for his friendship and his enormous contribution to the veterinary profession in Australia and internationally. Please enjoy this recent article from Companion magazine which highlights his work promoting and improving veterinary education in developing countries.

The journey and the positive change that has been imparted on both the ASAV and the AVA has Roger’s footprints all over it, and it was only fitting that we decided to honour him by renaming our ASAV Practitioner of the Year award to the ‘ASAV Roger Clarke Practitioner of the Year Award’.

Our thoughts go out to Dr Clarke’s family during this time. Vale Dr Roger Clarke, thank you for all that you have contributed to making our profession better.