With the death of Professor Barbara Weaver on the 4th of April at the age of 98, our speciality has lost one of its early and influential pioneers. She grew up in Worthing on the South Coast and qualified MRCVS at Royal Veterinary College in 1949. On qualifying she joined the staff of the RVC and collaborated with Dr. Leslie Hall, which resulted in the publication of the seminal paper, “Balanced Anaesthesia in the dog and cat”. In 1957, she moved to the University of Bristol, where she spent the rest of her career.

In 1964, she was one of the six who met to form the AVAGBI and served as its first secretary and subsequently, its President. A few years later she was part of the RCVS group that set up the DVA, of which she was a foundation diplomate and first examiner.

Academically she collaborated in research with Professor Mushin of Cardiff on the pharmacokinetics of anaesthetic agents and was awarded a PhD and FRCVS. She was one of the “Grandfathers” of the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia. Professor Weaver was awarded the Faculty Medal of the College of Anaesthetists and, in 2001, the Honorary Fellowship of the RCoA. Professor Weaver was the recipient of numerous other awards.

Professor Ron Jones