The first ten women to graduate as veterinarians from Onderstepoort

Abstract

Veterinary science a century ago was regarded as the preserve of men, and this is reflected in the numbers of graduates who were women in the first 40 years of the Onderstepoort Faculty's existence: only ten! In addition, several of these women remember being actively dissuaded from embarking on a veterinary career, or being given a hard time while they were students. These sturdy, determined pioneers deserve recognition and respect, and in the centenary year of the faculty we will give a brief outline of the life and work of each one.