Veterinary Surgeon - Full time

A brief history of the practice

In 1931, a small group of local farmers agreed to act as guarantors for the establishment of a veterinary practice in Lochgilphead and John M Fletcher was duly appointed.  He worked from his home at Lorne Terrace, Lochgilphead.  Prior to this date, by hearsay, a veterinary service had been provided by "one Montgomery", who was based at Moneydrain and travelled by bicycle.  In 1949, the practice moved to Duisdale.  John Fletcher retired from practice to take up a civil appointment in British Guyana and was succeeded at Duisdale by Willie Barr in 1956.  Ken Angus became Willie's veterinary assistant in 1958 until 1967, when Tom Jarrett joined as partner, retiring in 1981.  Ian Brodie stepped in as assistant until 1985 and he was followed by Margaret Lister, who became a partner in the practice in 1988.  On the retiral of Willie Barr in 1994, Margaret Lister moved the surgery to its present site on Manse Brae, Lochgilphead. Dalriada Veterinary Surgery was formed and since then has expanded its staffing level to four vets, one vet nurse, three receptionists and one weekend phone sitter, to meet the demands of modern mixed veterinary practice.  The practice is currently owned by Alison Barr and Fiona Campbell.

The work load of the vets has changed markedly over the last 50 years.  In the 1950s and 1960s, most of Willie Barr's time was spent on calls, attending to farm animals; carrying out TB testing and Brucellosis Testing and providing an A.I. Service for cattle.  Willie was involved in the H.I.V.I.S.S. and provided a veterinary service in the early days of the local fish farming industry.

Willie Barr's practice boundaries were more extensive than those of today.  He provided a service from St Catherine's to Dalavich, Kilmelford to Whitehouse and also visited the islands of Loch Craignish, Shuna, Scarba and the North end of Jura on a fairly regular basis.  In those days the tarred road ended just beyond Ford and Gaelic was spoken by many of the older generation.

Dalriada Veterinary continues to provide a veterinary service for approximately 40 farms, though small animal and equine practice now forms the bulk of our work.  Modern technology has transformed the way in which a mixed practice is run, but there is one aspect that has remained unchanged since Duisdale days: the provision of a vet on call, round the clock, 7 days a week, 52 weeks in the year.