Professor Evert Lagerweij qualified as a veterinary surgeon from the Utrecht Veterinary School in the 1959. He joined the staff of the Veterinary School as a lecturer in surgery and his early work was on surgery of the bovine abomasum. This was “the organ of the moment” as my own early interests were in that area. He soon developed an interest in anaesthesia.
In 1963 he joined the staff at the University of Zurich under the direction of Professor Amman, returning to Utrecht in 1965. In 1966 he joined the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AVAGBI), as a corresponding member (full membership was not open to overseas residents) where I first met him. He developed a liaison with Dr Leslie Hall and spent some time at Cambridge Veterinary School. In 1968 the first examination for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (London) Diploma in Veterinary Anaesthesia (DVA) was held and Evert was successful. In 1973 Evert was awarded his PhD and organised a meeting of the AVAGBI in Utrecht. In 1980 it was decided to hold the 1st International Congress of Veterinary Anaesthesia in Cambridge in September 1982. Evert was appointed a member of the organising committee and made regular trips to Cambridge for meetings and played a valuable part in that group. In 1991 he chaired the organising committee of the 4th International Congress of Veterinary Anaesthesia in Utrecht.
In the early 90’s there was considerable debate over the future of the AVAGBI and a possible formation of a European association to further the development of a diploma. Professor Lagerweij together with Professor Urs Schatzmann were the main movers of this development which led to a satisfactory outcome. The two individuals were amongst the six “Grandfathers”, with responsibility for establishing the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia. Evert was president of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthesia from 1995-98. He retired in 1994 which meant that he could devote more time to sailing which was his main hobby.
We have lost a good friend and a professional colleague who made a major contribution to our speciality and extend our sincere and deepest sympathy to his wife Elska and family.
Ronald S. Jones