Obituaries Australia

Ross Grant, n.d.

from Pastoral Review and Graziers' Record, 16 July 1957

The death occurred suddenly on 2nd June at Melbourne of Mr. Ross Grant, a former chief Commonwealth Veterinary Officer and a regular contributor to the Pastoral Review for many years. His articles dealt mainly with the meat export trade, of which he had very wide experience, but his broad general knowledge and writing ability enabled him to write with authority on many subjects. At one time he acted as editor of the Review for a short period and was always regarded as a valued source of sound advice.

He was born at Lillico, near Warragul, Victoria, in 1880, and after completing his primary education at Dookie went on to the Melbourne Veterinary College and Melbourne University. He joined the Commonwealth Meat Inspection Branch soon after its inception in 1911, when it was under the control of the Department of Trade and Customs, being stationed at Bowen (Q.) and later at Brisbane.

During World War I Mr. Ross Grant served as a Captain with the Australian Army Veterinary Corps, mainly in Egypt, where he was seriously ill and transferred to England. After the war he spent some time in the U.S.A., at his own expense, making general inquiries into various aspects of the meat industry, and on his return to Australia was appointed Veterinary Officer-in-Charge in Queensland. In 1924 he was sent to London, where he established on a permanent basis the position of Australian Veterinary Officer (London) at Australia House. His work there during the following four years was particularly notable, as he created in the minds of United Kingdom meat industry and health authorities great confidence in the high standard of Australia's meat export inspection.

Before returning to Australia after completing this assignment Mr. Grant was sent to Argentina to investigate the workings of the meat industry in that country, and his report to the Government remained a standard reference on the subject for many years. Subsequently he was Veterinary Officer-in-Charge in Victoria and Commonwealth Standardising Officer, in which position his wide knowledge of livestock stood him in great stead. For a period of ten months prior to his retirement in December 1945 he was Chief Commonwealth Veterinary Officer.

A great lover of nature, and of his native Australia, Mr. Ross Grant's hobbies were always associated with the outdoors, whether at the races, walking with a gun, or handling a fishing rod. He was a forthright advocate for the preservation of our native flora and fauna and fought hard, and successfully, for the introduction of legislation to curb indiscriminate shooting. He also advocated new regulations for controlling the "bobby" calf trade, as he detested all kinds of cruelty to animals.

Mr. Grant's wife predeceased him some years ago, but he is survived by a family of two sons and a daughter.