After more than four decades as a veterinarian, Dr Philip Whitfield of the White River Animal Hospital has recently retired.
He grew up on a farm in Zeerust and said he has always had a love of animals. And so, he became a vet for 41 years.
His time in the Lowveld started off in 1978, Nelspruit, when he joined Dr Blacky Swart in his practice. They expanded the business to White River in 1980, where Whitfield spent the rest of his time serving the community.
He remembers the look and feel of White River back in the ’80s.
“It was a sleepy little English village. The current municipal buildings were a cricket pitch, and the idea was to hit the cricket ball into the police station. And if you were done consulting on a Saturday, you would walk down and watch a cricket game.
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“Where White River Square is now was an open field that housed the circus twice a year.”
In those days, the practice was mainly concerned with cattle and horses, and there could be anything between six to eight farm calls in a day. They covered areas as far afield as Sabie, Hazyview, Graskop and Pilgrim’s Rest.
Initially he spent the first 10 years alone at the practice in White River, after which his colleague, Dr Bennie Pienaar, joined him – Pienaar will now be taking over the White River Animal Hospital.
Various young vets came and went from then on, bringing their own treatments and knowledge to the practice. “We taught them and they taught us, too. It was a game of new ideas.”
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With this many years behind him, he finds it difficult to single out one specific moment, whether it be good or bad.
“I think the wildlife part was exciting, but generally just working with people and their animals.”
The hardest moments were often the animal cruelty cases and having to euthanise so many healthy animals from various shelters not finding suitable homes.
Amid all the good and bad, he was grateful for those around him.
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“I need to just give my appreciation and thanks to the people in the community for their love and support all these years. And thank you to my ex-staff and colleagues for everything.”
Personnel at the practice also mentioned that they would miss the doctor dearly.
“His generous heart and calm demeanour will sorely be missed by many clients to whom Dr Whitfield had become a household name. He has performed thousands of surgeries, improving the well-being of our community’s pets, livestock and a variety of wildlife tended to at the clinic, as well as saving countless lives, doing what he did best.
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“As the White River Animal Hospital family, we will miss his banter over early morning coffees and the wealth of knowledge he shared with us. Nothing was ever too much trouble and after years of hard work, he truly deserves a happy retirement, fishing and spending lots of time with his seven grandchildren. “We will miss you, Doc!”
As for what lies ahead for him in his retirement, he said he was looking forward to some international travel as well as some hiking, fishing and golfing.
