Talking of the animals

Andrew Mathieson
IT ALL came about by chance.
Until then, Newtown veterinarian Dr Jack Ayerbe was content keeping to his own practice.
But when day-radio personality Denis Walter moved in next door, the doctor’s life seemed destined to change.
For nearly two decades, Dr Jack has since appeared on 3AK, 3MP and ABC radio and nowadays juggles commitments between 3AW, Bay FM and The Pulse as resident vet.
“I never asked to do it – I was actually asked by them,” Dr Jack explains.
“I’d be too shy to ask but, having been, I’ve enjoyed it.”
Long before Dr Harry was a household name, Dr Jack’s witty feedback on pets’ problems proved a breath of fresh air on talkback radio.
Dr Jack first came to notice with a guest spot on Geelong’s former AM station 3GL.
“Working with Denis is fantastic,” he admits.
“I’ve been working with Denis on radio since he used to work for 3GL.
“Even when he was on 3MP he’d always ring me up from the other side of the bay.”
Denis also used his radio connections to introduce Dr Jack to larger-than-life celebrity Ernie Sigley who later offered the doctor a gig on his show.
“Denis is an animal lover and we just have a really good rapport and the same can be said of Ernie,” Dr Jack says.
Dr Jack even had a crack at television for 14 episodes with former media personality Greg Evans.
But it wasn’t the doctor’s thing.
“It was great fun but because there was no spontaniety, I didn’t enjoy nearly as much,” he muses.
“Radio is great – it keeps your mind going and is great interaction.”
Dr Jack’s journey from English emigrant in 1949 to celebrity vet started on a dairy farm.
He was inspired after witnessing a cow being saved from milk fever – a disease caused by calcium deficiency and affecting cattle that have been fed broiler litter.
But even then, it was still tough competition to grab his attention.
“As a kid, I only ever wanted to do three things,” Dr Jack grins.
“One was to be a lion tamer, another was a farmer and the third was a vet.”
After graduating from university in 1969, Dr Jack travelled overseas to expand his horizons before settling down in Geelong five years later.
Time spent castrating horses and delivering calves in Ireland is now the basis of a book – Ballina and Back – to be released for Mother’s Day next year.
Most importantly, the time in Ireland taught Dr Jack about disease eradication.
“Lot of the houses had dirt floors, a peach fire, thatch roofs and they had animals in the house,” he remarks.
Nowadays Dr Jack is the Geelong spokesperson for the RSPCA and has been deeply involved in a commitee on animal ethics for the Department of Primary Industries.
He also advises dog food companies on canine nutrition and has
endorsed Dr Jack Ayerbe’s special formula to benefit their bones and joints.
Somehow he has also squeezed out 23 years on Geelong College’s council, too.
His workload could never slow him down but the death of wife Georgina last year nearly did.
She was wheelchair-bound for 18 months after suffering a devastating bout of breast cancer.
Dr Jack intially coped with the grief before “crashing” a few months later.
“That left a big hole in my life,” he says.
“I was unable to work properly for a while but I’m now starting to get back to work.”
Dr Jack, personally, counts himself lucky in life despite being hit by a tram 13 year ago.
“I was near death – I should’ve died but I didn’t,” he tells.
But sipping on a short black at a cafe, looking out onto busy Pakington Street, Dr Jack is comfortable with what now matters in his life.
“I still think one of the greatest pleasures a veterinary surgeon can have is pulling out a calf and seeing that little calf walk and suck its mother within three minutes of being born,” he smiles.
“That, to me, is still a very big thrill.”