Dr. Roger Clarke,
Founding FASAVA Chairman
FASAVA arose from a realization by a core group of Asia pacific veterinarians that there was a need for an international small animal veterinary group to act as a forum for their specific regional needs. In 2002, a group of veterinarians from various Asian small animal veterinary associations came together at the 27th WSAVA Congress in Grenada, Spain, to discuss the formation this group. As the Chairman of WSAVA CE in Asia, I was asked to assist in the formation of FASAVA. Association representatives from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Taiwan were represented in the discussions over the following 3 years.
The Asian group of vets met each year at WSAVA Congresses in Thailand in 2003, Rhodes in 2004 and Mexico City in 2005. Finally at a WSAVA CE meeting in Taipei in 2005 a final decision to form FASAVA was made. A constitution and rules based on the FAVA model were drawn up with appropriate modifications and adopted by the founding members of the group and sent to all interested parties.
Asian veterinary associations do not share a common language, but a common geographical region in which small animal veterinary medicine is a relatively new and rapidly growing area of interest. FASAVA held our first Council meeting in Sydney in 2007 and had then been formed as a company under Australian company law. All regional associations who wanted to join would be sent invitations. FASAVA is designed to be an association of associations in a similar manner to WSAVA and applications can be accepted from all associations in the region. Since this inaugural Council meeting invitations have been sent to the foundation associations and small animal associations from Australia, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, New Zealand and Hong Kong have already joined.
FASAVA FOUNDING COMMITTEE AND FOUNDING MEMBERS
