Downing 2010 cover opt b_Layout 1 - Downing College - University ...

DOWNING COLLEGE ASSOCIATIONteaching at Sedbergh School, Cumbria where he is well remembered as a Biologyteacher, Housemaster, games player and family man. Peter is survived by hiswife Eleanor and their five children.Peter Malins (1937). Mr Humfrey Malins wrote to say that his father, TheReverend Peter Malins, died on 25th November 2009.R T A Molloy (1936) has died.Robert B E Napper (1956) died in 2009.Alastair Nelson (1982) died on September 9th 2009 of a heart attack whileswimming. He was 46. He leaves his wife Elizabeth (née Vigrass – 1984) andtheir two children.Alastair was widely renowned as a vet who combined the highest academicknowledge with rural practicality. Having attended Bootham School, York, heread veterinary medicine at Downing and began his career in that disciplinewith Brown, Grant and Partners in York. After a period in a specialist equinepractice in Oxfordshire he moved to Valley Equine Hospital in Lambourn,Berkshire, in the heart of that horse racing community. Returning to Yorkshirein 1994 he joined Rainbow Equine Clinic, where he was made a partner fouryears later, and soon became a driving force in developing the technical side ofveterinary work in scintigraphy, digital radiography and computerisedtomography. The practice expanded into a highly successful business, takingfirst opinion and referral cases from all over the north east of England andrecently gaining hospital status. Alastair volunteered to become an assessor andestablish a training practice there for equine veterinary nurses. He contributedto veterinary papers, journals and books, lectured and ran courses, and wasinvolved with several professional organisations, his pursuit of knowledge takinghim on trips to America, France, Switzerland and Belgium. In the opinion ofone of his partners, “Alastair was an Einstein of the veterinary world. He wasan inventor, a very clever man, and not only expert in CT scanning, he was thesort of man who could fix the machines if they broke down. All of us lookedup to Alastair, as did the whole of the equine veterinary world. He knew theanswers to most questions especially in his specialist field of lameness diagnosis,and won many prizes for his knowledge.”Alastair was also a keen sportsman. He rowed in the College first boat, ranthe London Marathon, skied, played tennis, competed in triathlons, swam(qualifying as a swimming instructor shortly before his death), cycled and walkedhis dog at every opportunity. He was also a governor of his village school.36