John Holt (7 March 1931 – 24 June 2013) was an Australian veterinarian and sports shooter, who was the president of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, co-founded its Australian chapter, and represented Australia at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 March 1931 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 24 June 2013 (aged 82) Mount Wilson, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Veterinarian |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Sports shooting |
Biography
editHolt was born on 7 March 1931 in Sydney.[1] He graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science from the University of Sydney in 1954 and then worked briefly as a cattle veterinarian and had a short career in the animal industry.[2][3] In 1959 he purchased St George Animal Hospital, which specialised in treating pets at a time when many vets preferred working with larger animals; his business eventually expanded to six practices around Sydney and produced eight university professors.[2] He cofounded the Small Animal Clinicians Group in 1967, which was later known as the Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association and was eventually merged into the Australian Veterinary Association, and financed and edited its journal, the Australian Veterinary Practitioner.[2][4] He often travelled to North America to learn about veterinary practices relating to small animals there and was a guest lecturer at institutions including the University of Guelph in Canada and the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine.[2][5] He was the president of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association from 1986 to 1988.[2] He strongly supported the campaign against live animal export.[2]
In sports shooting, he competed in the 300 metre rifle, three positions event at the 1960 Summer Olympics.[1] His brother Neville represented Australia in shooting at the 1948 London Olympics, and he and John participated together in the 2000 Summer Olympics torch relay.[6]
He married Mary, a pharmacist, in 1960. They have both been noted patrons of animal- and biodiversity-related causes (for which Mary received a Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2024 King's Birthday Honours), along with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.[2][7][8][9] He died aged 82 on 24 June 2013 in the Blue Mountains village of Mount Wilson; he was privately cremated.[3]
Recognition
editHolt received the World Small Animal Veterinary Association's Award for Service to the Profession in 1998,[5] a Waltham Award for International Service from the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition, and honorary memberships in several organisations such as the American Animal Hospital Association.[2][10] In 1973 he received the Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association's inaugural Practitioner of the Year Award and in 2007 the organisation gave him a special award for Meritorious Service and named its distinguished service award in his honour.[2][5]
In 2014, the year after his death, Holt's wife Mary established the Dr John Holt Scholarship for Animal Welfare at the University of Sydney School of Veterinary Science in his honour, with an initial $135,000 gift.[11] In 2021, Holts' long-eared bat (Nyctophilus holtorum) was named in honour of Holt and Mary for their support of Australian biodiversity conservation.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "John Holt". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Fawcett, Anne (15 September 2013). "Remembering John Holt". The Veterinarian. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ a b "John HOLT Death Notice". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 July 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "Small animal". Australian Veterinary Association. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ a b c Kirpensteijn, Jolle (11 July 2013). "In Loving Memory, the passing of a great WSAVA veterinarian, John Holt". World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013.
- ^ "Australia's oldest Olympian dies at 95". The Age. 13 February 2008. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011.
- ^ "A new orchestra baby to make Mozart fans rejoice". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 September 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ Curtin, Jennie (10 June 2024). "Mary Holt awarded OAM for conservation work". St George and Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "Ms Mary Holt, OAM". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "Congratulations 2020 AAVN Waltham Award and AAVN student blog writing competition winners!". American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition. 6 July 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "Advocates for life" (PDF). Challis Bequest Society News. University of Sydney. 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ Harry E. Parnaby; Andrew G. King; Mark D. B. Eldridge (19 May 2021). "A new bat species from southwestern Western Australia, previously assigned to Gould's Long-eared Bat Nyctophilus gouldi Tomes, 1858". Records of the Australian Museum. 73 (1): 53–66. doi:10.3853/J.2201-4349.73.2021.1766. ISSN 0067-1975. Wikidata Q110218497.