Huis Onderstepoort in the 1960s

Abstract

Sir Arnold Theiler inaugurated a new student residence on 14 April 1924. This grand old building became known as Old Res when additional accommodation blocks were built. The number of beds available grew from 40 in Old Res to close to 700 at the OP Village complex as of today. To commemorate the historic event, a reunion was held on 5 April 2024 that included a visit to the South African National Veterinary Museum, CPD talks, a tour of the state-of-the-art skills laboratory at the Onderstepoort Faculty and a dinner at the OP Village Clubhouse on Friday 5 April (see VetNews May 2024). The festivities continued the following day with live music and food and drinks stalls on the sports fields of OP Village on Saturday 6 April (see VetNews June 2024). The celebrations included a chance to visit an exhibition in the Common Room where memorabilia was put on display and a timeline of traditions depicted on a 9-meter-long banner created by Cecilia van der Walt and Sarah Biesman-Simons of the Centenary Committee (see VetNews September 2024). In this edition of VetNews, two students of the 1960s share their memories of yesteryear at Onderstepoort. This is the second last of twelve articles to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the inauguration of Old Res