Paul Bland van den Berg

Pembroke 1963

Paul, my dear husband, died on January 31 this year when he succumbed to muscular dystrophy which he was burdened with for many years.

He left Kearsney in 1963 and went on to study Veterinary Science and here I quote from one his colleagues who spoke at his funeral.

“I had the significant privilege of being a member of Paul’s Onderstepoort class which graduated in 1968.  In our final year Paul’s academic acumen prevailed and he received the prestigious Sir Arnold Theiler Award for academic excellence.  He completed his MMedVet (Med) degree in 1978 and then migrated to the USA where he achieved a PhD and became board certified as a Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.  He then returned to Onderstepoort in 1982 where he became Professor and Head of the Department of Medicine and then the Deputy Dean and finally the Director of Clinic al Services.  He performed these duties with dedication, enthusiasm, dignity and skill despite the debilitating effects of muscular dystrophy.  He is the ultimate example of courage and determination.

Veterinarians from all over the world have contacted me to express their intense sadness in the passing of Paul.  He was, to many the finest lecturer they had encountered in their studies the most formative academic and clinician. A profound friend, a philosophical personality, he was admired and respected by all who knew him. a gentle giant amongst men.”

He married Pam in 1973 and had two children Timothy and Gillian.  He and Pam retired in 2008 to their special home on the hill in Old Belvidere, Knysna.

Pam Bland