JOHN MICHAEL DAYKIN
29.07.1948 – 20.08.2008
After 35 years at Cliffe Veterinary Group, John Daykin,the Senior Partner lost his life in a swimming accident while on holiday with his wife Caroline in Asturias on the north coast of Spain.
John who celebrated his 60th birthday in July 2008, was due to retire as a Partner from
Cliffe Veterinary Group in March 2009. John would have found it impossible to enter into retirement and was planning to continue in semi-retirement doing the farm work he enjoyed so much.
When we were first putting together our website the Veterinary Surgeons at the practice were asked to write a piece on themselves and the following was John’s contribution.
I qualified in 1971 from Bristol University & spent 2 ½ years in mixed practice in Henley-On-Thames. After marrying Caroline in May 1973, I moved in September of that year to join what was then Teakle and Partners to become the 5th member of the Practice as small animal work expanded. For the first 15 years I continued very much as a mixed practitioner, but inadvertently specialising in farm work.
In 1990 I supervised the merger of Philcox & Pepper with Teakle & Partners and so Cliffe Veterinary Group was born. Thereafter I have specialised in dairy herd fertility and increasingly in TB control, though since becoming Senior Partner in 1995 more and more of my time is taken up with Practice administration.
Both our daughters are married and we now have one grandson living locally in Brighton. I still play hockey (goalkeeper!), having played at County & District level in my youth. In 1978 I was asked to join the England indoor squad, but had to decline because of work commitments. I am also passionately interested in railways, and in particular steam locomotives, in search of which I have, and still do, travel all over Europe. Caroline and I enjoy concerts, opera and theatre in London, and when time permits I am an avid birdwatcher and amateur botanist………………….and when there’s time, I love my garden!
(Since writing this John’s family had grown to three grandchildren two, to his daughter Laura & one to Susie who is 6 months pregnant with her second child.)
The above is a short resume of what was a long and distinguished career of a remarkable man.
Everyone who had the pleasure of meeting or just speaking to John Daykin will understand the very big gap he will leave at Cliffe Veterinary Group & the legacy he leaves.
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