In loving memory
of Gavin Thomson
3 February 1943 - 23 April 2021
Many of you will know Gavin for his lifelong contributions to veterinary science and for his ongoing fight for the people and wildlife of southern Africa. For us though, he was first a wonderful husband, father and grandpa and his tenacious, principled personality came through in all aspects of his really quite astonishing life.
Gavin grew up in the tiny town of Gwanda, in then Rhodesia and went on to travel the world. His work took him to places as far-flung as Mongolia, Brazil and Pakistan and to the most rural parts of Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Chad, Mali, Somalia and Togo to name but a few. For the most part though, his home was with us in Pretoria.
His friends will remember his love of sport - in his youth he played rugby for Zimbabwe and in later life he ran the Comrades ultra-marathon. He also cycled, canoed and played squash. For us, his family, we will remember how much he loved to watch rugby on a Saturday, his evening jog with the family dogs and that late into his 70s he was still going off-road on his mountain bike to find the best spots for his grandchildren (with disastrous results)!
Above all, Gavin was courageous. The last six months of his life, he fought Pancreatic Cancer with the same level-headed, dogged determination and incredible bravery that he had shown throughout his life.
As he lived his life, so he left it.
This website has been lovingly compiled to honour him. You are warmly invited to share and contribute your memories of Gavin with us.
In his own words
Below are some pieces about Gavin, his life and his work through his own eyes.
Gavin describing his early childhood in Gwanda for his grandchildren in Australia.
A recent biography Gavin wrote for his OP Class of 1966
Interview with Prof Gavin R. Thomson
An interview captured by Bedelia Basson about foot-and-mouth disease, in which he was an expert after almost 40 years of work.
FMD in Southern Africa: the need and opportunity for a new approach in Southern Africa
This video embodies the lifelong work of Gavin Thomson on foot-and-mouth disease and was produced by Bedelia Basson