The ties that have bound Bryan Tehan to Seymour have long stretched and contracted, but they have always brought him back — until now.
The long-term vet and volunteer is moving to the Mornington Peninsula with his wife Annette to be closer to family, but his outstanding contribution to the Seymour district was recognised on Saturday, August 20, with a farewell luncheon hosted by the Seymour Agricultural and Pastoral Society and Rotary Club of Seymour.
Born in Seymour, Bryan has always been a dedicated member of the community. Even while travelling around Australia to build his career as a vet, his heart was still in Seymour.
“When I did my vet course in Queensland, I used to come back every weekend,” he said.
“I used to drive up and drive back. It was two days up and two days back, so I’ve always been into it.
“When we practised down in Wonthaggi, we used to come back every second weekend.”
Generous with his time as a volunteer, Bryan said he had always been interested in helping people.
“When I was in school, I think I started off with the St Vincent De Paul Society and once a month we used to go into town and help the homeless,” he said.
In the 1970s he joined the agricultural society and, despite initial difficulties, joined Rotary, eventually succeeding under the classification of wool grower.
He has now been a member of both Rotary and the agricultural society for more than 40 years.
“I joined the ag society in the ’70s. I couldn't get into Rotary because I had a classification as a vet, but only part-time — in those days you had to have a classification … you couldn’t be part-time,” he said.
As a member of the agricultural society and Victorian Farmers Federation, Bryan served on many committees, including a wool committee and a foot and mouth committee.
“We were taught — not as a vet, but as a farmer — how to circle them and keep them isolated if (foot and mouth) got here,” he said.
“If it got here it would be murder because you couldn’t export your stock until 12 months after the last case.”
Bryan said the chance to connect with others was what he would miss most about Seymour.
“I’ll miss the fellowship with everyone. I really enjoyed going to working bees,” he said.