Veterinary Faculty Alum Author Donates Two Copies of Her Novel

Ilse van Staden, a veterinarian who qualified at Onderstepoort in 1995, is not only an alumnus of the Veterinary Faculty but also a published author who donated two of her novels to the Jotello F Soga Library.

Her novel titled ‘Goeie dood wat saggies byt’, tells the story of Hilda, a veterinarian with a passion for working with animals. The story follows her as her chosen career as a vet takes an emotional toll on her, with blood and death starting to seep into her being. Did she make the right choice? Should she not opt for a career in sketching instead? What would her mother and grandfather think if she chose not to follow in their footsteps as a veterinarian? Hilda's inner feelings fluctuate between a sense of responsibility, passion, reality, and idealism, and this leads to deep introspection about her career as a female veterinarian.

Ilse van Staden currently lives in Australia and works as a veterinarian like her father and grandfather before her.  Her nephew, Jacques van Staden, is a 3rd-year student at the Faculty of Veterinary Science as well, at the Onderstepoort Campus.

Ilse van Staden’s novel was reviewed by several book reviewers. One of the reviews is published in the ‘Word and Action’ journal hosted on the Sabinet platform. This novel is uploaded to the book collection of the Jotello F Soga Library.

Access it here: https://UnivofPretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/952466196

3rd-year BVSc student, Jacques van Staden, presents the donated novels by his aunt and veterinarian, Ilse van Staden, to the Jotello F Soga Library